I Won't Love A Ghost Forever
by who0wnsmyh34rt
Summary: DALARIC SLASH.\\ Damon is left in pieces after Alaric's death, but finds himself growing attached to his former lover's ghost. Can they break all odds and keep their relationship alive, even after death? /Frequent flashbacks, & RATED M FOR A REASON.
1. Chapter 1

"Damon? We have to go. Everyone's going to the Gilbert house for the memorial." Stefan's voice pulled Damon out of his thoughts, and the older brother found himself in front of Alaric Saltzman's grave, tears streaming down his face. His heart literally hurt from all the pain he was feeling. He lifted his head and smiled at his brother, something he was having to force himself to do lately. If Stefan wouldn't have listened to Elena in the lake and saved her instead of Matt Donovan, Damon's lover would still be alive. He didn't care if Alaric was a murderous vampire or not, at least he would be alive and at least Damon wouldn't have to hate his brother for the choices he made. Nonetheless, Stefan drove Damon's car from the cemetery, and Damon found himself lost in his thoughts again.

\\/

"I see you're still pissed." Damon said as he pressed "end" on his call with Elena. Alaric was standing in front of him, eyes blazing with hatred for everyone, and everything. "I take it Goldilocks gave you the slip?"

Without another second to spare, Alaric punched Damon in the jaw, hard. Not willing to ever hurt Alaric, Damon fell to the ground and let the younger vampire beat him. When Damon was bloody in the face, Alaric stopped and stood back up. "You're not gonna fight back?"

"You're kind of invincible, Ric." Damon's voice strained, and he hunched over himself on the ground.

"Don't call me that." Alaric kicked Damon in the ribs. "We're not friends, or lovers, or anything like that anymore."

A jab of hurt pierced through Damon's heart, if only for a split second. "We were, and you loved me once. I know you're still in there, and I'm going to break you out, no matter if it takes the rest of eternity."

"Well, our 'friendship' was part of the problem. It's what kept me weak. Sure, I loved you, but it wasn't real love. It was a fake, idealistic love, and it consumed me. That's also why it took so long for the real me to break through." Alaric bent over, making sure Damon was looking at him. "And now I'm gonna break you." He punched Damon again, the bloody man's head hitting the floor hard.

Damon felt tears welling in his eyes, but he pushed them back and glared at Alaric. "Is that all you've got?"

"Not quite." Alaric said, just as he raised his arm with the White Oak stake in hand. When he brought it down, Damon caught his arm, and pushed Alaric up, getting up in the process and finally swinging at the man. He hit Ric's face, causing him to stumble a little, but he came back and hit Damon twice as hard. They each struggled to gain control of the fight, and Damon's heart clenched every time he hit Alaric. After a few minutes, Alaric dropped the stake in his hand and looked at Damon, both of them gripping each other's shoulders. "What's happening?"

"What?"

"WHAT'S HAPPENING?" Alaric started choking, and he fell to his knees, crying out in pain and gasping for air.

"No, no, NO! Ric, no!" Damon held Alaric in his arms as the two men dropped on the floor. "Ric! RIC?! I fucking love you, don't die on me, Ric, PLEASE!" Alaric started desiccating, and Damon's heart sank into his stomach. "You are not dead, you are not dead! ALARIC, I LOVE YOU, YOU ARE NOT DEAD!"

Ric's body lay limp in Damon's arms as tears mixed with blood dripped on his face.

\\/

"Are you okay?"

Again, his brother's voice pulled him out of his thoughts. Damon sighed. "What do you think, Stefan? I'm going to my fucking dead boyfriend's memorial, where I have to limit the amount of tears I cry just like I did at the funeral because no one but you and Klaus knows about Alaric and me, and Klaus is dead. So, no, Stefan, I am not fucking okay." After that, Damon got out of the car and slammed the door a little too hard, causing the window to shatter. He ignored it, entering the Gilbert house and also ignoring Elena's half-hearted greeting. He went straight to the kitchen where he found the first bottle of alcohol he saw, which happened to be wine, and poured himself a glass. He gulped all of it down, then poured another glass, chugging that one as well. He did this two more times, until a hand took the bottle of wine away from him, the hand belonging to Elena. Damon rolled his eyes. "Give that back."

"No," She said. "I won't let you destroy yourself. Ric wouldn't have wanted you to do this."

"Ric would have done it _with me_, Elena. You have no idea what you're talking about, so just give me the wine and _go away_." His head was starting to swim, which relieved him a little.

Elena still wouldn't hand the bottle over. "How do I not know what I'm talking about? Alaric wouldn't want you to get drunk at his memorial, he wouldn't want you to start spiraling down because of his death."

"Elena, leave him be. I'll take care of him, just go tend to the guests." Stefan stepped beside Elena, taking the bottle of wine from her. With a sigh, she walked out of the kitchen, and Stefan returned the bottle to Damon, who skipped the glass altogether this time. "When are you going to tell Elena about you and Alaric?"

"When he comes back from the dead."

"Well, looks like you should get to that, because Alaric is right beside you." Elena's little brother Jeremy's voice came from behind Damon.

With a flutter of hope, Damon looked around, but saw nothing…only Jeremy. "Is this some kind of joke? You're not funny, Gilbert."

Jeremy laughed. "Not trying to be. Alaric is a ghost, I can see him."

"What-oh…" Damon slowly smiled, and he took another large swig out of the wine bottle. "So, Ric, do you feel bad for beating me up yet?"

There was a short pause while Damon waited for Jeremy to answer. "He says no, because you hit him too."

Damon's heart skipped a beat, suddenly filled with happiness. He was talking to Alaric, even though Ric was dead and Damon was alive.

Before Damon could say anything else, though, Stefan spoke. "I take it Alaric told you about he and Damon?"

"Just a few minutes ago, when Damon came in and started drinking." Jeremy said, looking at Damon. "He said he wished you weren't trying to drink him away, but he can't stop you."

"Damn right he can't." Damon went to drink more wine, but the bottle was knocked out of his hand by some sort of invisible force. Luckily, Stefan caught the bottle before it hit the floor, and Damon started laughing. "Okay, Ric, _fine_. But FYI, dead stuff, I'm not trying to drink _you_ away. I'm drinking the pain of losing you away." Tears filled his eyes as he exited the kitchen. Somehow, he could smell Alaric all around him, and it was making his heart hurt again. He pushed through people and made his way up the stairs, bursting into Alaric's bedroom and slamming the door shut. He sat on the bed and put his head in his hands as he let more and more tears stream down his cheeks. The vampire was filled with so much fury, pain, and sadness, but he had no idea how to let it all out. He looked up at the bedside table and saw a picture of the two of them. His heart clenched, and he picked up the frame, throwing it across the room. It hit the wall and shattered. Damon couldn't help but think how his heart had shattered into a million pieces, too.

Suddenly, the door opened, but no one was on the other side. A small gush of air flowed around Damon as he sat on the bed, and the room started to smell like Alaric. Damon wiped the tears from his face, and spoke to no one he could see. "I miss you, Ric." What felt like a warm hand brushed across his cheek, and a soft warmth tingled on his lips. That made Damon yearn for Alaric's touch, his kiss, his _everything_. "You have no idea how much I wish you could actually kiss me right now." The warm tingle moved from Damon's lips to his cheek, then his jaw, and ended on his neck. The vampire closed his eyes and lay back on the bed, breathing in Alaric's scent, and letting the man's ghost kiss him everywhere.


	2. Chapter 2

\\/

Damon stormed up to Stefan's room, the blur of Elena's birthday party and his encounter with Stefan sending him reeling. He flipped over tables, smashed chairs, broke picture frames, and didn't feel any better. Every emotion possible started pulsing through him, and he didn't hear when Alaric knocked on the doorframe. Damon was startled when Ric spoke.

"Bad night?"

"Jesus, Ric, why the fuck are you here?" Damon sounded angry, but Alaric didn't pick up on it.

"I don't know, I just wanted to talk to you, I guess," The sad man hung his head. "I'll just leave you alone."

Damon stood up from his position on the floor where he had collapsed. "No, please stay, Ric. You'll keep my mind off things."

"I was hoping you'd do the same for me." Alaric stepped in the room, dropping his duffle bag on the floor. "You really did a number on Stefan's room, didn't you?"

Damon smiled. "I think it's some of my finest work." He could feel his intense emotions receding, and that made him happy.

Alaric stared at Damon's smile, admiring it. He didn't know why he was staring, it just _happened_. Damon was an attractive man, Alaric couldn't deny that. His face was structured and smooth, his lips looked perfect, his smile could send any teenage girl into an obsessive state, and his eyes were the most beautiful things Alaric had ever seen.

"Ric? You're staring at me." Damon's voice snapped Alaric out of his own head. "It's pretty weird."

"Sorry, I-" Ric started, but he couldn't finish what he was saying. His body stepped to Damon, and before either of them could think anything of it, they were kissing. Neither of them objected to it. Damon was shocked, but he definitely wasn't going to stop. He had been questioning his sexuality for a long time, but had never done anything about it, and he had felt something when he met Alaric. He didn't know whether it was lust, or actual feelings, but with the way Elena was rejecting him, he honestly didn't care.

The second his lips touched Damon's, Alaric knew he hadn't made a mistake. His body was on fire with every touch of Damon's hands. Ric slowly pushed Damon down on the bed that was against the wall, hoping Damon wouldn't object to it. After another few moments of the two men kissing, Alaric pulled away and looked sternly in Damon's eyes. "I can stop right now, and we can forget this ever happened. Your call." His voice was low, and rough.

"For the love of God, Ric, don't stop." Damon's eyes were filled with hunger, and he crashed his lips with Alaric's again. He breathed in Ric's scent, loving the warmth of his kiss. In that one moment, Damon Salvatore forgot about Elena, and Stefan, and Klaus, and everything that was wrong with his life. In that moment, he was without pain, sadness, and anger, for the first time in over one hundred and forty-five years.

\\/

Damon woke up in Alaric's bed, alone, and his dream of the first time he and Ric kissed still playing in his head. He couldn't smell Ric anymore. That forced all the pain of losing Alaric through his heart again, and Damon practically leaped out of the bed and rushed downstairs, finding Elena and Stefan drinking coffee. "Where's Ric?"

They looked at each other. "Damon…" Stefan started, but Damon held up his hand.

"Before you go 'breaking the news' to me again, I know he's dead. What I'm wanting to know is where his _ghost_ is."

"Oh. Well, we don't know. Jeremy is at the grill, working." Elena sipped her coffee after she spoke, then Damon remembered something.

"Hey, by the way, Elena, how's being a vampire treating you?"

She smiled. "Great. I can't believe I didn't want to be one when I was human."

"Awesome. See you guys in a bit." Damon rushed back upstairs to put his shoes and leather jacket on, then he exited the Gilbert house before Stefan or Elena could stop him. He arrived at the Mystic Grill a few minutes later in his Camaro, and scanned the inside for Jeremy. Once spotted, Damon made his way to the boy. "Where's Ric?"

"I don't know, I haven't seen him since this morning before I left." Jeremy was carrying dirty plates to the bar. "He told me to tell you he loves you."

Damon couldn't help but smile. "That's sweet."

"I thought so, too."

"So, do you know when he'll be back?" Damon tried to make his eyes seem desperate.

Jeremy stared at him. "Damon, I'm sorry, but I have no idea when he'll show up. He just does, and most of the time now he just talks to me about you."

Damon sighed, feeling defeated and hopeless. "I guess I'll just go wait for him at the boarding house. If you see him-"

"I'll tell him where you are." Jeremy smiled, and Damon nodded in return.

On his way back home, Damon could feel every pore on his body longing for Alaric. Knowing he would never get to touch, feel, or even see Ric again made Damon want to kill several people, mainly Elena and Stefan. Once he was inside the boarding house, Damon immediately poured himself some whiskey and trekked up to his room. He then sat on his bed, drinking, and staring at his bathroom.

\\/

"Are we gonna talk about this, or just let it build tension?" Alaric blurted, standing in front of Damon in the vampire's room.

Damon plastered a classic smirk on his face before he took a sip of the whiskey he had in his hand. "I don't know, stud, what do you wanna talk about?"

"The fact that we made out on your brother's bed last night for over an hour!"

"Or," Damon said, standing up and stepping towards Alaric. "We could talk about how much I liked making out with you on my brother's bed for over an hour, and how much I'd like to do it again." He stopped less than a foot from Ric, and shoved the glass of whiskey into the man's chest. "How about it, stud?"

Alaric took the glass form Damon and gulped what was left of the whiskey, throwing it on Damon's bed when he was done. "You're hard to say no to."

All Damon did was smile, and he picked up Alaric and placed him in the standalone porcelain bathtub of the bathroom. When the human looked at him strangely, Damon climbed on top of him. "In case anyone barges in, I can hide you easily." Damon kissed Alaric after that. His whole world stopped again, and his rage was gone. He could definitely get used to Alaric being his lust-filled escape from the real world.

After a few minutes of that, Damon heard someone entering his house. "Damon? Are you here?" It was Elena, and she was making her way upstairs.

"Shit," The vampire said, getting off of Alaric. "Stay here, and don't make a sound."

"Why is she here?" Ric whispered, looking annoyed.

"Probably to whine about Stefan and lead me on some more, but shhh." After that, Damon slipped out of the room before Alaric could even notice, and met Elena on the stairs. "I'm here, what's the problem?"

"I don't get a 'hello, Elena, how was your day?' How very rude." She crossed her arms and shifted her weight to one side. Usually, Damon would have found her teasing him like that ridiculously cute, but for some reason it was annoying him now.

"I don't have time for your shit right now, and the last time I checked, you keep rejecting me even though I've told you that it's hopeless to think you'll get Stefan back. He's _gone_, Elena. He's never coming back because he's let the ripper take over again. _There is no hope_. Go home, and get on with your life."

By that time, Elena had started crying. She turned and started to storm out of the house. "You're a dick."

"Thanks for pointing out the obvious." When Elena was gone, Damon returned upstairs to his room, and found Alaric poking his head out of the door, eavesdropping. "Now, what did I tell you about staying in the tub?"

"I couldn't resist listening in, I'm sorry." Ric held his hands up in his defense. "She's right, you know, you are a dick."

"Has everyone just turned into Captain Obvious today? I don't fucking care about Elena's feelings anymore. I can't. She's too frustrating, and she'll never choose me over Stefan. I'm the 'bad boy' who she _wants_, but I can't fulfill her needs." Damon sat on his bed again, sighing.

Alaric sat next to him. "I don't think she knows what she's doing, or else she'd stop. She wouldn't want to hurt anyone like that."

"It doesn't hurt me. It makes me so fucking mad that I want to choke her sometimes."

Ric laughed. "She's pretty stubborn."

Damon ran his hand through his hair. "I honestly don't give a damn about her anymore, but she'll think I have someone else if I don't try to chase her anymore, so I'll _have_ to apologize tomorrow when I see her."

"You're just so caring, aren't you?" Alaric smiled, and Damon found himself admiring his smile, just as Ric had done the night before.

"You're beautiful, Ric."

"What?"

Damon rolled his eyes, kissed Alaric softly, then pulled away and looked the human's face over. When he spoke, his voice was rough. "I said, you're beautiful, Ric."

Alaric's face filled with color as he looked away from Damon, smiling. He slowly placed his hand on Damon's knee, and the vampire took it upon himself to lace his fingers with Ric's, loving the warmth of the human's hand.

\\/


	3. Chapter 3

There was a knock on Damon's bedroom door, and he got up reluctantly to find Jeremy on the other side. "What?"

"Ric wants to talk to you about something." Jeremy stepped past Damon, looking around the room.

The familiar smell of Alaric filled the room again, making Damon smile. "He can talk to me about anything he wants, as long as I get to smell him." The vampire closed his eyes, loving the feeling of Alaric being around him again.

"He says it's serious."

Damon rolled his eyes. "Everything is always so serious now, why can't we just spend time together, Ric?"

"He says he wants to, he REALLY wants to, but he wants you to tell Elena about you two. He says she deserves to know how you were faking everything with her."

"Why can't Stefan tell her? He's been lying to her, too! She'll probably give him more shit for it than me!" Damon threw his hands in the air, frustrated. "I told you, Alaric, I don't care about Elena's feelings anymore. You've known that for a long time."

"Well, that's nice to know." Jeremy laughed sarcastically.

Damon scoffed. "Don't give me that self-righteous shit, Jeremy, she was doing the same crap to me before I started doing it to her. Your sister isn't the perfect little angel she makes herself out to be."

"Whatever, I'm out of here. You're a fucking dick." Jeremy started to walk out of the room, but the door slammed shut without him touching it, and the boy stared at the wood. He sighed, then turned around and looked at Damon again. "I'm sorry. Ric needs to talk to you, and I'm the only way he can. I'm doing it for him."

"Don't torture the boy, Ric. If he wants to leave, let him." Damon said. "I'll be fine alone, I guess."

Jeremy sighed again. "He says no, he's staying here with you."

"He's not staying anywhere if he wants me to go tell Elena anything." Damon took the keys to his Camaro out of his jacket pocket and exited the room. The smell of Alaric followed him down the stairs, as did Jeremy. Damon and the boy were silent most of the ride to the Gilbert house, but Damon became curious. "Is he in the car with us? I can't smell him anymore..."

"He said he'd meet us there." Jeremy answered quickly, and Damon sighed, wanting to be a prick to the boy, but not wanting to make Alaric mad. He kept his mouth shut the rest of the way to Elena's house, and knocked on the door a few times when they got on the porch. Elena answered, and Damon spoke before she could.

"I need to talk to you." He pushed past her into the house, and she closed the door behind Jeremy.

"About what?" The girl crossed her arms and glanced at Stefan, who was making his way down the stairs, but he didn't say anything.

Damon let out a breath. "Alaric and I were together. As a couple. That's why I'm so moody lately." When Elena stared at him, shocked, he continued. "Also, everything between you and I was one-sided, because I stopped caring on your birthday last year, and haven't cared since. I'm sorry if that hurts you, blah blah blah, fake apology I don't mean. I'm only telling you this because Ric is making me."

Elena's mouth was hanging open. "I-but…wait, so, why were you being romantic with me, then, if you didn't mean any of it?"

Damon rolled his eyes. "Use your brain, Elena. If I was suddenly completely uninterested in you, you'd think I had someone else, and of _course_ you'd get jealous and wanna know who it was."

"But why couldn't you tell me you and Alaric were dating, I don't understand." Elena said, looking confused. "I wouldn't have gotten jealous, and I wouldn't have judged you two."

"Oh yes, you would have _so_ gotten jealous!" Damon emphasized "so" much more than he needed to, which warranted a _look_ from Elena.

Before she could say anything, Stefan stepped beside her. "He's right, Elena. You would have gotten jealous, which is why I kept it from you, too. I'm sorry."

"_What_? You knew?" The small girl was getting visibly angry. "Stefan, how could you?"

"Elena, I-"

"Don't get mad at him, get mad at me. It's my fault, I asked him to keep it from you." Damon interrupted Stefan, beginning to smell Alaric in the room. "And don't be mad at Ric, either, he was afraid of what you and everyone else was going to think of him."

"He says that's only partially true," Jeremy cut in. "He says he was mostly afraid of what people would say about you, Damon. He was afraid people would provoke you, and you'd get yourself in trouble. He says you have a bad temper."

"Well, thanks, Captain Obvious." Damon said, smiling a little. His spark of happiness was brought down by Elena's obnoxious voice.

"I'm not mad at anyone, I'm just upset that you guys thought I'd get jealous, for some reason."

"I'm not having this conversation with you anymore, I've done my duty, and I'm going home." Damon opened the front door. "Ric can follow me there, if he'd like." With that, the black-haired man ignored everyone on the other side of the door, and walked back out to his car. As he drove home, he tried to push everything out of his mind, but it didn't work. The pain in his heart creeped all through his body. He ached for any kind of contact with Alaric, as it was starting to become an addiction; smelling Ric's scent, feeling the ghost-like kisses on his neck. Damon wondered if it would be like that forever.

\\/

"You have no idea how addicting your lips are." Damon spoke seductively in Alaric's ear, causing the human to smile while on top of the vampire. The two had gotten back from the Smoky Mountains with Elena about an hour before, and they were on Damon's bed in the boarding house.

Alaric leaned back down and placed soft, warm kisses down Damon's jaw, and then to his neck. "_You_ have no idea how ridiculously attractive you are."

"Ric, wait." Damon sounded serious.

Alaric stopped what he was doing, leaning up again. "What?" Damon said nothing more, he only smiled before pushing Alaric under him so quickly that the human barely even noticed. Ric's lips turned up in a grin. "I like this."

"I like _you_." Damon kissed Alaric deeply. His body was filled with warmth as opposed to its normal coolness, and Ric heated things up more by sliding his hands down Damon's sides, then up the vampire's shirt. Damon's back tingled under Alaric's touch. His entire body wanted more, but his mind was for some reason telling him to slow down, and he found that strange. He was always the person who did what he wanted first, and damned the consequences after...but with Alaric, Damon found himself wanting to be careful. He didn't want to move too fast, because he definitely didn't know what he was doing, and he didn't want to end up hurting Ric. The man he was kissing was his best friend, and he had to remember that.

So, with great reluctance, Damon pulled away from Alaric's lips. He lightly kissed the man's neck a few time, then dropped off of him, leaning up against the headboard of the bed. Alaric sat up, too, and looked confused. "What's wrong?"

"I'm gonna sound like a pansy, so I will leave you blissfully ignorant of my thoughts." Damon said, smiling at Ric. "Just know it's a noble cause."

The human laughed. "You know I'm not gonna think you're a pansy."

"Alright, alright," Damon smiled, then sighed. He wasn't so into the whole sharing his thoughts thing. "I don't want to hurt you."

"Like, physically?"

"No," The vampire replied. "Emotionally. You've been through a hell of a lot lately, and I don't want to make you hurt even worse. I found it odd that you were so quick to move on after Jenna died, especially with such a fuck up as myself."

"We're getting into some deep shit, here, aren't we?" Ric chuckled again.

Damon shrugged. "You don't have to talk to me about it if you don't want. It was just something that kept crossing my mind, and preventing me from doing further things with you." He waggled his eyebrows, hoping to make Alaric laugh again, and it worked.

"It's not that I don't _want_ to talk to you about it, I just don't think I can. I'm barely keeping myself together as it is, and you're a big part of that." Ric said. "I don't really know what I want from this. All I know is you're making it a lot easier to live right now."

\\/

When he was inside his house, Damon poured himself some whiskey and went up to his room again. He sat on his bed, not knowing what to do to get Alaric there with him. "Am I supposed to call to you, or something? How is this supposed to work, Ric?" When there wasn't an answer, or a smell, or a feeling, Damon sighed. "Alaric? Please come here. I think I've earned some alone time with you."

As if on some kind of queue, Damon's room slowly started to smell like Alaric, and the vampire smiled. "Hey, stud." The air around Damon got warmer, and he felt a soft, hot tingling sensation on his forehead. He couldn't help but smile; he had always loved it when Alaric kissed his forehead. "You're making it a lot easier to live right now, I hope you know."

**(A/N: This chapter was mostly in the present, so I'm sorry if you were getting attached to the flashbacks :p PLEASE REVIEW, IT WOULD MAKE ME THE HAPPIEST PERSON IN THE WORLD)**


	4. Chapter 4

"I'm sorry for everything I've done to hurt you, Ric." Damon sat in his bedroom, drinking what was left of his whiskey, waiting to move on to bourbon, and speaking to a ghost. "You didn't deserve any of it, and I feel terrible for putting you through all the shit I did. Losing you wasn't worth realizing that." When a silky warm touch brazed across his neck, the vampire smiled, and took a large sip of his whiskey, emptying the glass. "I love you, Alaric." The words tasted foreign, seeing as he hadn't said them since Ric was dying in his arms. He immediately had a shot of guilt jab his stomach. He hadn't told Alaric he loved him enough when they were together, and he wished he had. Damon didn't understand why he had to lose Alaric to start seeing all the things he had done wrong when Ric was alive, and that made him twice as angry at himself as he was before. "I can't take this, you need to be here." Damon's eyes welled with tears as he felt the faint warmth of Alaric's embrace on his back. Soft kisses tingled on his cheek. His hand was enveloped by invisible fingers, which were soft and warm. All of this made him remember all too clearly the electric feel of Alaric's full touch, and he stood up quickly, backing away from his bed and dropping the empty glass that was in his hand. It shattered on the floor. "This is too much, Ric." Damon wiped away the tears that were falling down his cheeks. "How am I supposed to stop feeling so terrible over losing you if you're here with me, but I can't see you, or hear you, or feel you completely?" He stumbled over his own feet and fell, but he didn't get back up. "I don't know what to do." His head in his hands, Damon started remembering all the things he wished he had done differently with Alaric.

\\/

"Let me let you in on a little secret," Damon spoke to Alaric as they walked past the table over-filled with chili at the founder's party, beers in their hands. "Founder's parties are just an excuse for the Council to gather in back rooms and plot against vampires."

Alaric sighed, not wanting to say what was about to come out of his mouth. "Hey, uh…I think you need to take a beat, with Elena."

"Excuse me?" Damon said, shocked. He tried to tone down some of his anger, because this was Ric, but it didn't work.

"Whatever it is you two have going on, I think it's a bad idea." Alaric immediately regretted saying anything, because he knew Damon was about to get pissed.

"I don't really think it's your problem, Ric." Damon snapped. "I'm only doing it to throw her and everyone else off of _us_."

"It is my problem. I'm supposed to look after her, and this is me doing that. I know why you're doing it, but that doesn't mean you have to make it seem so real." Ric was developing some anger, as well.

Damon stepped to Alaric, looking sternly in his eyes. "What do you think I'm doing? She's gonna get herself killed if I don't stay on her ass about everything. And if it doesn't mean anything to me, why are you letting it bother you?"

"Damon, this is not the time or place to get into that right now. What I _think_ is you need to take a beat." Alaric's voice softened, but Damon's look didn't. Before Damon could say anything, though, Sheriff Forbes walked up to the two of them.

"Damon? Sorry, but, the mayor just called for the Council meeting."

Damon didn't say anything else to Alaric as he walked away with the Sheriff, but Ric turned and stared after the vampire, realizing that he would have to deal with Damon being pissed eventually.

When night fell, and the founder's party was coming to a close, Ric had drank his way to a nice buzz when he ran into Elena. "Please tell me it's time to go."

"Beyond," Elena answered. She was walking with Caroline. "Where's Damon?"

"Probably off somewhere doing bad things to good people." Caroline crossed her arms, and Elena gave her a look. "Consider me the honesty police." Caroline smiled widely, but it faded when she looked in a room next to them.

"What's wrong?" Ric asked.

The blonde girl stared. "It's my dad…"

"Why would he even show up here?" Elena looked at Caroline, but the girl shook her head.

"I don't know, but, I can't-"

"I got it." Elena nodded. "I'll call you later." Caroline exited the house quickly, and Ric looked confused.

"Okay…what was that all about?"

Elena sighed. "Speaking of doing bad things to good people." She jerked her head towards the nearest exit, which happened to be the back door or the house, and the two of them walked out.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa! Houston, we have a problem." Damon appeared and followed Elena and Alaric out of the house.

Elena kept walking. "Where have you been?"

"Managing Bill Forbes. Apparently he's impervious to compulsion." Damon said. "He threatened to out me! Don't get me started on the irony of _that_." The vampire glanced at Alaric, who smiled a bit at the comment. After that, the three of them went back and forth about Bill Forbes until Damon became extremely pissed. Ric was pulling the same crap he was doing earlier, and Damon couldn't think of any other way to get what he wanted, so in a split second, Damon had snapped Alaric's neck and ran back inside.

The vampire immediately felt guilt for what he had done. He was falling hard for Alaric, and he had even told him that he didn't want to hurt him. Damon knew he had a lot of apologizing to do.

He stayed up all night waiting for Alaric to wake up. By morning, he was getting extremely impatient, so he mixed himself and Alaric drinks. He waved one of the glasses in front of dead Ric's ear. "Wake up," He sang the last word, and almost immediately, Alaric took in a huge breath and opened his eyes. He looked startled for a moment, and his eyes rested on Damon, who smirked. "Wow, took a bit longer than usual, huh? You might wanna get that ring checked, hope it's not going bad."

Alaric glared at the vampire. "You killed me!"

"You pissed me off." Damon sipped his drink. "Look, Ric, if we want this to work, you-"

"YOU KILLED ME!" Alaric yelled.

Damon rolled his eyes. "Ric, no hard feelings, alright? I was on a bit of a tear, everyone was trying to tell me how to behave."

"Yeah? Well maybe they finally realized you're just a dick." Alaric set the drink down on the table in front of him and got up, beginning to walk out of Damon's house, but the vampire sped to the door, blocking it.

"Ric, _please_, I'm sorry, okay?"

"Sorry doesn't fully cover killing me." Alaric glared at the man in front of him, wishing he would move. "You said you didn't want to hurt me, and that's exactly what you did. I'm done."

"I know that's what I said, and I _don't_ want to hurt you, but you have to understand that I have shit to worry about and if you get in my way of that, I can't be responsible for the consequences."

"Well, I don't understand that. There's no reason why you had to kill me, Damon."

The vampire sighed. "I know. I'm sorry." Damon tried his best to look as terrible as he felt, and he thought it worked, because Alaric visibly un-tensed.

"If we start fighting, we'll both just go back to being miserable again," Ric said. "I don't want that." He stepped to Damon, sliding his hands up the smaller man's sides.

Damon smiled. "Me either."

Alaric's hands found their way up to Damon's neck, where they pulled his head to Ric's. Their lips met, and immediately, Damon knew he was forgiven.

\\/

**A/N: Sorry this one's so short! I'm having some trouble writing it now for some reason, so if anyone has any input, please review (but you should review anyway because it makes me happy), or pm me (: THANKS FOR READING!**


	5. Chapter 5

An annoying sound emitted from Damon's phone, which was on his bed a few feet away from him. Damon had no idea why he had fallen asleep on the floor, but he pulled himself up and answered his phone, wiping alcohol-tinged drool from his face. "Hello?"

"Damon, you have to get over here, _now_," It was Stefan, and he sounded panicked. "Alaric is destroying the entire house, looking for something, and Jeremy can't stop him."

"What is he looking for?" Damon was already halfway down the steps, car keys in hand.

"I have no idea, but he won't stop, and it's scaring us. Please hurry, we don't think he'll listen to any of us."

"I'm on my way." Damon hung up the phone and started is car, driving entirely too fast out of the driveway. Once at the Gilbert house, he entered without knocking and found papers upon books upon more papers strewn everywhere, mostly on the floor. There was rattling coming from upstairs, so he ascended the steps, trying not to smile when he started to smell Alaric. He followed the sounds into Elena's room, where he found Stefan, Elena, and Jeremy in a corner. There were papers flying everywhere and drawers were rattling open and shut. Alaric's scent was strong. "Ric, what the hell are you doing?"

The rattling stopped, as did the papers. Jeremy stepped forward, and stared at the wall across from him. "No, Ric, he's here to help you! Why can't you just tell us what's going on?"

"If this has anything to do with what happened yesterday, just forget about it, Alaric." Damon said, stepping to where he smelled Alaric the most. "I'm a moody little bitch and you'll just have to get used to that now, but seriously, babe, stop whatever it is you're doing."

"He says he can't, and he keeps telling me to get you out of here." Jeremy looked scared.

Damon rolled his eyes. "Ric, I swear to God, you need to stop your shit right now and tell us what the fuck is going on, or I will leave this town and you'll never see me again. Your choice."

All of a sudden, Damon was pushed to the ground. Jeremy's jaw dropped. "He said leave, then, but you'd be throwing away any chance of getting him back."

"What?" Damon stayed on the floor, shocked. "Alaric, don't fuck with me."

"He's not," Jeremy said, his eyes widening. "He says there's a way to make you see and hear him, that's what he's trying to find."

Damon was stunned. He couldn't believe what Alaric was doing. He was trying to find a way back to Damon. "Ric…"

"Wait, so, there's a way to get all of us to see him, or just Damon?" Elena asked, finally coming out of the corner with Stefan.

"Just Damon." Kneeling down to Damon, Jeremy helped the man up. "He says he's sorry for shoving you down, but you pissed him off."

Damon smiled. "I do that a lot."

"Why is he having to tear apart Elena's house to look for a way to make Damon see him?" Stefan looked confused.

"There's a grimoire that has the spell in it, it ended up in the Gilbert family somehow. Alaric says he's looked everywhere, and it's not here."

"And exactly where is he gonna get a witch to do this spell? Bonnie won't do it." Damon said.

Jeremy hesitated. "He says if he talks to her, she will."

The black-haired vampire sighed. "Like I said before, Ric, just forget about what happened yesterday, it was nothing. I'll get over it."

"He says it's not nothing, and he never wants to see you like that again. He loves you, and he's going to fix this."

Damon threw his hands in the air, frustrated. "Fix _what_, Ric? You're dead, it's not anything that can be fixed. I have to learn to deal, and breaking down is part of that."

Suddenly, the room seemed colder. Jeremy turned to Damon. "He's gone."

"GODDAMNIT, RIC!" Damon yelled, kicking the bench that was at the foot of Elena's bed. It flew across the room and hit the wall. "When he comes back, tell him I'm fucking done." Damon tried to walk out, but Stefan grabbed him.

"Damon, don't do this, Alaric is just trying to find a way to make things better for you two."

The older brother pulled his arm out of the younger's grip. "Alaric is _dead_, Stefan, there's no way to make that any better for us. I love him, Stefan, but I'm not putting myself through Hell anymore. As far as I'm concerned, my boyfriend is dead and I'll never see him again, so I suggest you get out of my way before I get _really_ pissed off."

Stefan looked in Damon's hurt eyes for a moment before stepping aside and letting his brother leave. When Damon shut the front door, Stefan sighed. "I don't know what to do. I want them to work things out, but they can't unless Jeremy is there."

Elena took Stefan's hands in her own. "There's nothing you _can_ do. They're both strong minded and won't stop until they get what they want. It's pointless to even try."

"Alaric's been talking to me about Damon, and he says to ignore Damon's outbursts, if he has any. He said he'll take care of it." Jeremy spoke to both Elena and Stefan, and both of them looked at him strangely. He sighed. "Damon and Alaric have a 'fight and make up' kind of thing going on, from what Ric has said. He told me they get into some nasty fights, but they always make up. When they were together, they couldn't talk to anyone about their problems, so it all blew up, all the time. Ric said it's no different now."

"So, what? Are we just supposed to let them be mad at each other?" Elena asked, completely confused.

Jeremy nodded. "Yes."

Elena ran her hand through her hair, then crossed her arms. "That is the most stupid thing I have ever heard, but whatever." She exited her room and went downstairs, and Stefan followed her. He watched as she made coffee. "Damon and Ric seem like they're pretty seriously involved with each other, I don't see how they kept it secret for so long."

Stefan sighed. "I was gone when they got together, they had the entire boarding house to themselves. I guess they just acted like friends in public."

"Were they together when we went to Tennessee to find you?"

"Yes."

Elena pondered, then realized something. "So that's why Damon was on his phone the whole time we were in Chicago…he was talking to Alaric."

"Probably." Stefan said. "But, Elena, I wouldn't worry about it. If Alaric says they're fine, then I'd believe him."

Sighing, Elena nodded, and handed Stefan his cup of coffee.

\\/

"Knock, knock, Ric." Damon said through Alaric's bedroom door. The human answered, looking annoyed.

"What?"

Damon smiled. "Just returning Elena to you after you almost had her burned to death tonight."

"Hey, Ric, I'm going to bed. I'll see you in the morning." Elena poked her head out of her bedroom door. "Damon, don't bother him."

"I'm not, don't worry. Goodnight, Elena." Damon smirked at the girl, who rolled her eyes and shut her door, locking it also. Damon turned back to Alaric, and lowered his voice. "I'll come in through your window."

"Sounds like a plan." Alaric shut the door in Damon's face, but smiled as he heard the vampire close the front door. A few seconds later, Damon was in Ric's bedroom, smirk still plastered on his face.

"You know, you may be taking this fake hating me thing a _little_ too far." The vampire said, stepping to Alaric. "I almost believed you earlier when you said I had no charm."

"Well, you were flirting with Rebekah pretty hard, I can't say I wasn't jealous." Alaric placed his hands on Damon's hips, smiling. "When are you gonna make _me_ s'mores like that?"

Damon laughed a little, pressing his body closer into Ric's. "When you shut up and kiss me." The vampire crashed his lips with Alaric's, tangling his fingers in the man's soft, thick hair. Alaric's hands held Damon's body as close to his as it would go. Damon lightly pushed his tongue against Alaric's lips, begging to enter, and almost immediately, the human obliged. Ric moaned into Damon's mouth, not being able to control it. This made Damon smile, and he pulled away from Alaric's lips, placing gentle kisses down his neck. "Don't make too much noise, Ric. You'll make me lose control."

Ric threw his head back in pleasure. "Damon, you are _such_ a tease." The human's skin tingled under every touch of Damon's lips. The vampire started slowly pushing Alaric toward the bed, unbuttoning Ric's shirt along the way. He pulled it off just before shoving Alaric down on the bed with one hand. Damon climbed on top of Ric, kissing every inch of his torso along the way. He returned their lips, and Alaric's kiss was more hungry this time. Damon loved it, he opened his mouth and let Alaric's tongue inside. They both fought for dominance of the kiss, and it seemed like Alaric won. He wanted so much more of Damon, it was indescribable. He pulled the vampire's shirt off and desperately reattached their lips. Ric's hands gripped Damon's back hard, and his nails dug into the vampire's skin, causing a moan to escape from the man's mouth. Alaric smiled a bit, loving that he could make Damon Salvatore moan like that.

Damon's hands found their way to the front of Alaric's pants, and he unbuttoned them slowly, sliding them down and off, along with Ric's shoes. He forced himself not to touch Alaric's giant erection inside his boxers, because he wanted to tease. He stood up and started to pull his own jeans down, but Alaric stopped him.

"Damon, no. Elena is in the house." He sat up and sighed.

Damon looked hurt. "But, Ric...I was having so much fun." The vampire straddled Alaric on the bed, running his hands down the human's front.

"I was too," Ric said. "But Elena can't know about us, or it'll ruin everything. And with the way things were going, I wasn't gonna be able to keep my mouth shut."

Damon smiled. "Alright, just know that when we do get to have fun, you'll love it."

"Oh, I know I will." Alaric kissed Damon briefly. "You can still stay, if you want."

"I'd love to." Damon kissed Alaric's forehead lightly before standing back up, giving the human his pants back. While Ric put them back on, Damon watched, smiling.

Alaric noticed, and blushed a little. "What are you staring at me for?"

"No reason, just admiring your incredibly attractive body," Damon said. "And of course, your beautiful face." The vampire stepped back to the bed, in front of Ric, and placed a hand on his cheek. "I'm terrified of losing you, Alaric. You're the only thing keeping me from going insane right now."

Ric smiled, looking up into Damon's ocean eyes. "You've never called me Alaric before."

"I haven't?"

"No…you always call me Ric." The man pulled Damon down on top of him again.

"Is it a bad thing? Cause I can still just call you Ric, if it-"

Alaric put a finger on Damon's lips. "I like it." He kissed the vampire very lightly, but with more passion than he could ever say he had kissed a woman with. "I don't see why you think showing people this side of you is a bad thing. We all know you're a good person, you just make some _really_ bad decisions sometimes."

"I like being the bad boy," Damon smirked. "I also like reserving this Damon especially for you."

Ric laughed as he ran his hands up and down Damon's smooth back. "You just spoil me rotten, don't you?"

"I try."

Alaric looked in Damon's eyes for a few more moments as the vampire lay on top of him. He pondered a few things. "Hey, so, are we like, dating?"

Damon looked confused, and he rolled off of Alaric, but stayed next to him, and his finger traced circles on the man's chest. "What do you mean?"

"I mean, what would we call ourselves? Boyfriends?" Alaric shuddered at the thought. "I hate that word."

"What word?" Damon smiled, leaning into Ric and flashing his eyebrows. "Boyfriend?"

Ric made a sound of disgust. "Yeah, it's just one of the worst words in history. 'Hey, meet my _boyfriend_, even though he's a fully grown man, I'm still gonna call him my _boyfriend_.' Just, terrible."

"What, so I can't call you my _boyfriend_, Ric?" The charming smirk never left Damon's face.

"No, you most certainly cannot, but you _can_ call me your lover."

"Ooooh, I like that. It has a 'forbidden fruit' thing going on with it." The vampire's hand slid down Alaric's body, catching the human's hand in its grip. The two smiled and laced fingers, and Damon's eyes became fierce. "I was so scared when Elena called me earlier to tell me your car had caught fire. I blamed myself for not looking out for you more closely."

"Damon, there was nothing you could have done, it's not your fault. I'm fine, aren't I?"

"Yeah, but you were almost killed, and I could have been watching you more closely and pulled you and Elena out of the car way before it fried."

Alaric sighed. "That wasn't a part of the plan. I was supposed to lay low, you were supposed to distract Rebekah, and Elena was supposed to distract Stefan. If you had let yourself _get_ distracted by me, Rebekah would have seriously hurt Elena, and then everyone would be pissed."

"I guess you're-" Damon started, but the sound of his phone ringing interrupted him. He saw that it was Stefan, and he rolled his eyes before getting off the bed and answering it. "What is it, _brother_?"

"Where are you, brother? We miss you here at home." Loud music came from the background, and Stefan sounded annoyingly pleased with himself.

"How about it's none of your business where I am?" Damon snapped. He was getting fed up with the way Stefan was acting lately, but he knew he had to deal with it.

"Don't tell me you're at Elena's. That's not such a good idea, now is it?"

Damon was pretty sure there was steam coming out of his ears. "I'll be home soon, Stefan. Fuck off." He ended the call and dropped the phone on the bed, pulling his shirt off the floor and putting it on. "I have to go, Stefan is being an ass."

Alaric sighed as he watched the vampire put his shoes on. "I really wanted you to stay."

"I did, too, but we can't risk him coming here and finding us in bed together."

"You're right." Alaric's face had fallen, like he was extremely sad about something. Damon hated seeing him like that and he wished he didn't have to leave, and he could stay there and kiss Alaric until he felt better.

"Come here, Ric." Damon held his arms out, and the human stood up, walking into Damon's arms. They held each other tightly for a few moments, each of them admiring each other's scent. When they let go, Damon smiled. "I'll call you when I get home, okay?" All Ric did was nod, and he also let out a breath. Damon pressed his forehead against the human's, still smiling. He gently kissed Ric. "I can't wait to see you again, Alaric."

Before Ric realized it, Damon was gone.

\\/

**A/N: I really enjoyed writing this chapter, so please review! (:**


	6. Chapter 6

Damon burst into his house like a bull, storming into the living room and pouring himself a drink with shaking hands. He downed the bourbon quickly, hoping for relief, but getting none. He quickly poured himself another. He wasn't putting himself through this pain anymore, he couldn't. Alaric was gone, and he had to stop lying to himself. Once his anger subsided, he was flipping the switch. Humanity wasn't worth this pain, not in a million eternities.

But he was lying to himself again…there was no "switch," at least, not one that was so easily accessible. He had to either be compelled to turn off his humanity, or he had to disconnect himself with anything and everything he had ever called home, which meant Alaric, too. He didn't want to do that. He didn't want to leave Alaric, even if he couldn't see or hear him. Damon knew he was there, and that was all that mattered to the vampire.

But was it worth this pain? Was it worth this indescribable burning in his chest, this gaping hole in his being, this shattered soul? He had no idea. He _wanted_ to believe that Alaric Saltzman was worth just about anything, but he honestly had no idea.

Sighing, and holding back tears, Damon poured himself a third drink, then settled on the soft couch. He knew his outburst at Elena's house was childish, but he honestly couldn't help it. Alaric was having hope when all evidence was pointing otherwise, and that steamed Damon so terribly. He was sick of people having so much hope and being naive and careless, just because their heart felt so strongly about something. If he was in Alaric's position, he would just be there to comfort Alaric, not scare everyone and try to get himself into deep witch shit that probably wouldn't even work. But, on the other hand, Ric wasn't him. Ric was loving, selfless, and strong minded to the point where he would do just about anything for the people he cared about. Damon guessed that wasn't any different in death. He knew Alaric's intentions were good, which is why he couldn't stay angry forever.

While he was sipping his drink, someone walked through the front door he had left open. It was Jeremy. "Why is the door open?"

"Why are you walking through my open door?" Damon's tone was bored, and annoyed. He didn't want to deal with Jeremy. He wanted to be alone.

Before Jeremy could answer, Bonnie walked beside him. "Alaric found the grimoire," She said. Her expression looked sad, yet powerful. "He wants me to do the spell, and I'm going to."

"_What_? I'm sorry, but do you remember the last time you fucked with dead people?" Damon had stood up, and was walking over to Bonnie and Jeremy. "They ran loose and started trying to kill everyone, including me. Now, if I were you, I'd wanna stay away from anything having to do with the living seeing the dead."

Bonnie shook her head. "This spell is different. It won't make a hole between worlds, it just takes Jeremy's gift of seeing and hearing the dead and gives it to you, but only for a specific person."

"Aka, Alaric." Jeremy added, looking smug.

Damon looked from Jeremy to Bonnie, contemplating. "Wait, so, I won't see any other dead people? Just Ric? They all won't be coming to me for their 'unfinished business' like on that God awful show Ghost Whisperer?"

Bonnie laughed a little, then stepped past Damon and set the grimoire in her hand on the table. "Nope. Just Ric."

Jeremy looked at Damon. "So, what do you say?"

"I say you're both stupid if you think I'm gonna fall for this without Ric being here." Damon sat on the sofa again, downing the rest of his drink. "You could be getting some kind of witchy revenge on me."

Bonnie rolled her eyes. "I'm not, I promise. Jeremy has told me just about everything he knows about you and Alaric, and I feel terrible for it. I want to help."

A strong wave of Alaric's smell and warmth seemed like it sat down next to Damon. Jeremy smiled. "Alaric says he told you so."

"You can shove it, Ric." Damon said, smirking a little. "How the hell was I supposed to know that Bonnie would feel bad for us like we're some Lifetime movie about gay vampires?"

"He wants to know if you're gonna do it." Jeremy's tone was serious now. Damon sighed, and he got up to fix himself another drink.

"Yeah, I'll do it," He said. "_But_, if any weird witchy shit starts happening, I'm out."

Bonnie smiled. "It won't." She flipped through the large grimoire on the table. Once she found her page, she looked back up at Damon and Jeremy. I'm gonna need something personal of Alaric's. Like, a shirt, or shoes."

"Got it." Damon chugged his drink and set the empty glass on the liquor cart, then dashed up to his room and came back with a flask. He handed it to Bonnie, and she stared at him.

"I ask you for a shirt or shoes, and you get me a flask?"

Damon rolled his eyes. "This is personal. He had this with him no matter where he went, he was a _drunk_, Bonnie."

"Fine, just give it to me." She took the metal flask from him and placed it on the table, just above the grimoire. "Now, I need both of you over here kneeling down, and touching it." When they obeyed, she continued. "When I start the spell, you're both going to be cut on your palms. Wait a few seconds to let the blood get on the flask, then clasp your palms together. Got it?" They both nodded. Bonnie then pulled out two candles from her purse, lighting them with a match. She closed her eyes and started speaking the words of the spell, and almost immediately, the candles she had lit flared up. A few seconds later, a sharp pain shot through Damon's hand, and he guessed it had done the same to Jeremy, because the boy was wincing. When the pain stopped, Damon and Jeremy looked at each other for a moment, then removed their bloody hands from the flask, and grasped each other's hand.

A huge wave of deep coldness rushed through Damon, which was followed by the warm, sugary smell of Alaric. After that, Damon felt extremely lightheaded, like he had been injected with vervain. He collapsed onto the floor, unconscious.

\\/

"So, how the hell are we supposed to use a bunch of cave drawings as a weapon against Klaus?" Damon dropped his jacket on the floor of Alaric's apartment, sliding off his shoes, as well. The two had decided to spend the night there instead of at the Gilbert house, so they could further talk about what they found in the Lockwood cave…and, of course, spend time together.

Alaric sighed as he locked the door behind him. He made his way into the kitchen, pulling a beer out of the fridge and throwing it to Damon. He also got one for himself. "I have no idea, but I'm gonna study them as best I can and come up with something." He dropped down on the sofa next to Damon. The vampire wrapped his arm around Alaric, sipping his beer.

"Good luck with that, stud. I say it's all bullshit, and Mason was just trying to fuck with me."

"That may be true, but still. I'm gonna find out what it all means." Alaric said. "By the way, how was getting skewered this morning?"

Damon laughed. "It was a fantastic start to the day. Thanks for showing concern."

"No problem." Alaric then turned so his face could be easily buried in the vampire's neck, and he did so. The beer he had in his hand found its way to the coffee table as Alaric kissed Damon's neck gently, slowly moving closer to the man, and placing his hand on the other side of Damon's neck. He lightly sucked on the smooth skin beneath his lips, loving the taste of the vampire's cool skin. He heard and felt Damon hum lowly.

"It's like you know _exactly_ what turns me on," Damon's eyes were closed, his head leaned back on the large pillow behind him. "And you do it _perfectly_." All Alaric did was smile into Damon's neck and continue to brush his lips across the silky pale of the vampire's throat. Every nerve in Damon's body was being electrified by Alaric's lips on his skin. He felt as if he were going to explode, which meant that he would most likely take complete advantage of Alaric if things continued…but, was that such a bad idea? Ric certainly seemed ready and willing, but Damon wasn't so sure. He had to watch himself closely with the human, because not only had he never been in a relationship with a man before, but he had never been with a man intimately either, so he had no idea how to please Alaric properly. This fact made Damon's stomach churn. He was normally an experienced charmer in bed, but everything was going to be new this time, and that made Damon extremely uncomfortable.

Alaric's hand on his crotch pulled Damon out of his head. He jerked away from the human, standing up in the process. "Ric, we need to talk about something." He ran his hand through his thick hair nervously.

The human sighed heavily and hung his head, leaning back on the couch and sipping his beer again. "What?"

Damon stared. "You're mad." It wasn't a question so much as an observation, but still the human replied.

"I'm not mad, Damon. What do you wanna talk about?"

"Do you know how old I am?" The vampire decided to ease Ric into what was on his mind. Besides, it wouldn't be very _Damon_ of him if he simply talked about what was bothering him.

Alaric contemplated for a moment. "You'd be a hundred and seventy."

"Alright, so knowing that…would you believe that I've _never_ been with a man before?"

Ric stared at the vampire standing in front of him, and a sly grin crept on his face. "You don't know what to do. You're nervous."

"Yeah." Damon nodded. He chugged the rest of his beer and threw it into the trash can, which was a good fifteen feet away.

Alaric stayed stunned as he stood up, sliding his hands down Damon's muscular arms. "You don't have to be nervous, Damon. It's the same for me, and I guarantee I've felt the exact things you're feeling right now."

Damon sighed, a little relieved, but not one hundred percent. "It's not just nervous, Ric. I'm uncomfortable. Not with you, just with the fact that I have no idea what I'm doing, and that's never happened to me before except with Katherine and, pfft, we all know how _that_ turned out." The vampire found comfort in the way Alaric was tracing his fingers up and down his arms, and his tenseness dissipated. He closed his eyes again and let out a large breath. "God, you are perfect."

Alaric laughed a little, his smile lingering on his lips as he spoke. "You don't have to worry, I swear. I'm not Katherine, I won't fuck you over, and as far as everything else goes…I guess things will just _happen_, you know?"

Smirking, Damon stepped closer to Ric. "What are you, Dr. Seuss now?"

"You're a dick, but I love it." Alaric's smile was wide as he rested his hands around Damon's slender waist. He kissed the other man passionately, and the two drifted off into bliss.

\\/

**Thank you so much for all your reviews! Please tell me what you think of this chapter, I enjoyed writing it a lot more than the last one (:**


	7. Chapter 7

"Ric, _please_ calm down, freaking out over this is not going to help." Bonnie spoke to the ghost who was pacing Damon's bedroom, glancing at the unconscious vampire lying in the bed. She and Jeremy stood near the entrance to the bathroom, Bonnie gripping her grimoire closely and Jeremy still fiddling with the bandage on his hand.

"Goddamnit, Bonnie! How do you expect me _not_ to flip my shit over this? What the _hell_ did you do wrong?" Alaric said, pivoting on his foot, but not making a sound on the hard mahogany floor.

Bonnie looked hurt. "I didn't do anything wrong! He must have passed out from being hit with everything all at once, and it doesn't help that he was drinking beforehand. Blame his alcohol habits."

"No, Bonnie, blame _me_." Ric's words were shaky, his nervousness was catching up to him. "He was drinking because of _me_."

Jeremy sighed. "Ric-"

"Jeremy, don't even try to tell me he wasn't drinking because of the fight we had earlier, just fucking don't. I know him, and he wouldn't drink like that unless he was trying to calm himself down. He hasn't fed since I died either, so he needs alcohol for that, too. Also my fault." The ghost threw his hands in the air, still pacing.

"Stop blaming yourself, Ric," A hoarse voice came from the bed, making Alaric stop pacing. He stared at the stirring vampire. "I hope I'm not having one of my flashbacks, because I'll kill everyone if I have any more of those." Damon tried to sit up, but couldn't, and Ric smiled.

"Damon," The ghost soundlessly made his way to the bed, sitting down and leaning over Damon. "You can hear me, right?"

The waking man finally opened his eyes, but jumped back when he saw Alaric. "What the fuck..."

"What's wrong, babe? You look like you've seen a ghost." A sly grin formed on Alaric's face.

Damon stared at Alaric in front of him, not believing what he was seeing. The vampire had to force back tears. "You're really here…"

The grin Alaric had was replaced with a sweet smile, and loving eyes. "I am."

"You're…perfect." His eyes scanned Alaric's face closely, making sure it was really him. Once he finally realized it, Damon took the ghost into his arms, not caring that he couldn't feel anything from it except warm tingles and faint, soft touches. His Ric was _there_, right in front of him, and there was no way he was ever going to let the man go. "I love you so fucking much, Alaric." His voice cracked with tears, something he was hoping to God wouldn't happen because Bonnie and Jeremy were there, but at this point it didn't bother him. All he cared about was holding Alaric.

"You have no idea how much I love you, Damon Salvatore." Ric spoke quietly in Damon's ear, then turned his attention to Jeremy and Bonnie, who both were smiling widely. "You two need to stop doing that creepy smiling thing, and one of you should go get Damon a blood bag."

"Whoa, whoa, whoa there, I'm not drinking any blood." Damon's tone was back to normal, and all evidence of tears was gone from his face.

"You're not serious, right? Are you sure you're the same Damon Salvatore who drained three girls in less than an hour?" Alaric sat back a little, but kept his arms around Damon's waist. He could barely feel it, but it was worth it.

Damon rolled his eyes. "I've got too much shit going on in my head right now, Ric. If I have any blood, I could go off the rails like Stefan did and has been doing for the last century and a half."

"But, you have Ric now," Jeremy said. "Shouldn't all that go away?"

"It's not that simple, Gilbert. He's still dead, that's still rattling around in my brain like a fucking broken record." Damon sighed, looking back in Alaric's bright green eyes. "I'm fine for now. I'm actually the happiest I've been since you turned, Ric. I don't need blood, I just need you."

Alaric smiled, color filling his cheeks. "If you say so."

Damon returned Alaric's smile, then quickly got up, gripping his forehead. "Alright, I need a drink, which means it's time for the kiddies to leave."

"What? But, Damon-" Bonnie started, only to be cut off by the vampire appearing in front of her without her seeing him move.

"Bonnie, I _really_ appreciate what you did for me here, but I also _really_ need a drink and to be alone with my boyfriend."

"I still hate that word." Alaric had stood up, too, and he had a smirk across his face.

Damon smiled. "You'll get used to it."

Ric shook his head as he stood next to Damon. "I think Bonnie wants a 'thank you' instead of 'get the fuck out of my house'."

Again, Damon rolled his eyes, looking at Bonnie. "Is that true?"

Bonnie laughed a bit. "Maybe a little…"

"Okay, _okay_." The vampire sighed. "_Thank you_, Bonnie, for all your witchy business today."

"You're very welcome, Damon. We'll leave now." Bonnie took Jeremy by the arm and started to walk out, and the boy looked from Damon to Alaric.

"I guess I'll see you guys later, then."

Both of the men waved, and when the two teenagers were gone, Alaric stepped to Damon, planting a warm, tingling kiss on the vampire's forehead. "I'm glad you can see me now."

"I am, too. I just need a drink, _really_ bad." Damon looked and sounded agitated, but Alaric didn't take it to heart. He knew it wasn't towards him, so he laced his fingers with Damon's for the first time in weeks, and the two headed downstairs so Damon could satisfy is need for booze.

Reluctantly, Alaric let go of Damon's hand so the vampire could make himself a drink. The ghost sat on the sofa in front of the drink cart. "I wonder why we can't feel anything more."

"What?" Damon sipped at his whiskey, confused. He sat next to Alaric and breathed in the ghost's scent.

"Well, I mean, you can see and hear me now, but I still can't feel you completely."

The vampire downed a good bit of his drink before replying. "I can't feel you, either. It's still like you're a ghost." His voice was low, like he was afraid to speak the words. Alaric sighed.

"I guess we'll ask Bonnie about it tomorrow."

"I'm sorry I flipped my shit earlier. I just didn't know this was possible, and it hurts so much knowing you're gone. I-"

Alaric held up his hand, which made Damon stop speaking. "Don't. It's okay."

"But, Ric, I need to-" Again, Alaric cut Damon off.

"Apologize? Damon, if you spend the rest of your life apologizing for everything, we'll never get to spend eternity together. Is that what you want?"

He wanted to be pissed about Ric cutting him off, but the vampire couldn't help but smile. He and Alaric were going to spend eternity together, and it didn't matter if one of them was dead or not. They had found a way. That was all that mattered to either of them.

\\/

Alaric's phone blared in his ear, and he had to force himself to push his body up. He lazily looked at the bright screen. It was Damon. Sighing, Alaric sat up and answered the call. "How did it go?"

"It didn't work. Stefan stopped me from killing Klaus, the fucking hybrid staked Mikael, and not to mention the fact that Elena keeps getting more attached to me and I have no idea what the hell to do about it." Damon paced in front of the fireplace in the boarding house, fuming, and drinking. He was hoping the human's voice would calm him down.

"What? Have you beat the shit out of Stefan yet?"

Damon sighed. "Nope, he left town with Katherine." The vampire downed the whiskey that was in his hand and threw the empty glass into the fireplace, not caring that he had done the same thing earlier when Elena was there. "I just can't believe Stefan found a way to ruin everything, _again_. I want to fucking kill him."

"No you don't, he's your brother." Alaric searched for the shirt he had thrown on the floor before he went to bed, but it was entirely too dark in his apartment.

"You're the one that just asked if I beat the shit out of him, now you're telling me I _don't_ want to kill my brother?"

Ric smiled, even though Damon couldn't see it. "I'm a teacher, remember? I'm not supposed to make sense. You want me to come over?"

"_Well_, if you wanted, you _could_ come make me feel better about this _terrible_ tragedy that has befallen my life." Damon sounded like his normal self, which made Alaric laugh a little.

"Just give me a bit to put clothes on."

"_Oooooh_, I'm talking to naked Ric? How raunchy."

Alaric rolled his eyes, getting out of his bed and just about stumbling to the light switch on the wall. "I'll see you in a half hour, and keep your pants on."

"Keep yours off." Damon added, just before hanging up his phone. The vampire had a mile-wide smile on his face, now anxious to see Alaric.

In his apartment, Ric flicked the light on in his bathroom and looked at himself in the mirror. He looked absolutely terrible, and he smelled pretty bad, too. Before he went to sleep he had tried to drink away thoughts of Damon getting hurt, and it had worked somewhat. But now that he had only been asleep for two hours instead of all night, he smelled like the wrong end of a drunk whore. There was no way he was going to let Damon kiss him, or even _see_ him, while he was like that, so Alaric started himself a shower and tried to be quick. He had to force himself not to think about how he was wronging Jenna while he thought about holding Damon, or kissing him, or anything.

Was it wrong for him to be happy?

"Yes," Alaric answered his own thoughts with a sigh. "Jenna would kill me if she knew about this."

But, oddly, Alaric found himself still going to Damon for happiness. He was growing more and more dependent on the vampire, and he knew he shouldn't be, but he honestly didn't care. Damon for some reason was Ric's only escape from the fucked up world he lived in. Ironically, Damon was also the _cause_ of the fucked up world Alaric lived in.

Shaking his head at his own masochistic subconscious, Alaric drove his shiny new car to the boarding house. Before he could even knock, Damon had the human in the house and pushed against the back of the door.

"Jesus, Ric, you smell so _fucking_ good." The vampire ferociously kissed Alaric's neck, rendering Ric completely speechless. Damon's lips and tongue felt like heaven on his skin and Alaric silently questioned why the two weren't naked and fucking the hell out of each other. Ric's hands slid up Damon's shirt as the human moaned quite loudly in Damon's ear. Waves of pleasure washed over both of their bodies, but Damon also felt his throat burning with thirst and he tried to ignore it as he gently slid his tongue over the artery under Alaric's skin. Another moan from the human sent Damon's hunger over the edge, and he felt the veins under his eyes filling with blood, as well as his fangs extending inside his mouth. He pushed himself away from Ric, breathing heavily. "I'm too hungry for this."

Alaric stared at Damon, oddly turned on by the vampire's changed face. "Then why did you start it?"

"I don't know, Ric, because you're fucking hot?" Damon's voice was acidic, but Alaric still smiled.

"Bite me, then."

"What? No," The vampire's face returned to normal. "You're out of your mind if you think I'm feeding from you."

Alaric rolled his eyes as he stepped closer to Damon. "All you're gonna do is go down to the basement and get a cold, lifeless substitute for what's standing _right_ in front of you." The human pulled Damon's head to his neck, anxiety mixed with thrill pumping through his whole body. "Bite me, Damon."

The vampire stared at Ric's neck, his face slowly turning back into that of a monster. He couldn't lie to himself…he found Alaric's display of bloodlust completely and utterly sexy, and he wanted so badly to taste the human's blood. But Damon knew better, he knew he could use Ric's apparent fetish to his advantage, and that is exactly what he planned to do. So, he tried to ignore the terrible burning in his throat as he forced Ric back against the door slowly, kissing the human's skin gently. "I'll make you a deal." Damon spoke into Ric's neck, his voice low.

Alaric's eyes stayed closed. He took in a short breath as he felt Damon's fangs lightly brush over the skin on his neck. "What?" Before he could react, Alaric was picked up and carried into Damon's room. The vampire pushed Ric onto the bed and crawled on top of him. His face was normal again, but his eyes were fierce with lust, and he leaned down to Alaric's neck again, breathing on the man's ear.

"Fuck me, and I'll bite you."

**A/N: I'm a sucker for cliffhangers, sorry :p Pretty please, will you review! I'm really sorry it took me so long to write this, but hopefully you all think it was worth it, so let me know! If I get good reviews on this, there MAY be some graphic smut in the next chapter? I'm not sure how I want the rest of the flashback to go :D IT ALL DEPENDS ON YOU, MY LOVELY READERS. I love all of you. Thank you for your time.**


	8. Chapter 8

Ric smiled as Damon returned to kissing his neck. "I thought you were too nervous for that?"

"I was, but I want you entirely too bad to care anymore." The vampire felt another surge of burning hunger envelope his throat, and his fangs rested right on Alaric's artery. "So what about it, stud?" Damon breathed the words, no longer brushing his lips on Ric's skin. He wouldn't be able to control himself if he did.

Alaric didn't answer. He shoved Damon on his back, rolling on top of the vampire. Again, Ric was completely turned on by Damon's changed face, and he quickly crashed his lips against Damon's. The human uncontrollably bucked his hips, causing a hungry growl to escape from deep within Damon's throat. Alaric loved this. He loved the fact that he could make a vampire like Damon groan for him, a human. It gave him an incredible sense of power.

Damon opened his mouth slowly, and Ric slid his tongue over those sharp fangs, hoping to extract blood. He felt a small, sharp pain at the tip of his tongue and seconds later, he tasted coppery liquid in his mouth. The second some of Ric's blood hit Damon's tongue, the vampire's hunger flared up, and he pressed his lips harder into Ric's, sucking as much of the blood off his tongue as possible. When there was none left, Damon pulled away and stared into lust-filled green eyes, a drop of blood on his bottom lip.

"Goddamnit, Ric, take your fucking clothes off, _now_."

Alaric did as he was told, loving the way Damon was speaking to him for some reason. He supposed his masochistic subconscious was to blame, but he wasn't about to spend forever thinking about it. He tore his shirt, pants, and shoes off, dropping them on the floor and not caring that he had just put them on a half hour earlier. He stayed in his boxers, though, as he also began to remove Damon's clothing. The vampire watched Alaric's every move. He slowly slipped off Damon's leather jacket, making sure to slide his warm fingers over Damon's cool arms. Ric pulled the black v-neck shirt up and off, his eyes pooling over Damon's body, lips and hands wanting to kiss and touch every inch. Damon held himself up on the bed so he could watch as Alaric pulled off his boots and unbuttoned his dark jeans, sliding them down and off agonizingly slowly. He saw Alaric's eyes widen at the sight of what was inside Damon's boxers, and that sent a smirk to the vampire's lips.

"Like what you see?" Damon waggled his eyebrows at Ric, forcing his face to return to normal. He was controlling his hunger as best he could. Alaric had gone off vervain for him, and Damon was going to make it worth his while.

Ric only nodded before getting back on top of him and burying his face in the vampire's neck. He bit lightly, and let his tongue roll over Damon's collarbone. Another deep moan emitted from Damon. "God, Ric…just fuck me, _please_…"

Alaric laughed a little, kissing Damon's neck gently. "Not yet," He said, his hands sliding down the vampire's sides. "I like hearing you moan."

Smiling, Damon's hands shot up to tangle in Ric's hair, pulling gently. "Now who's the fucking tease?"

"Fuck you." Alaric's lips turned upward in a grin as he spoke the words into Damon's neck. The vampire removed his hands from Ric's hair and trailed them down to the human's ass, squeezing hard.

He spoke in Ric's ear. "I wish you would."

Alaric's composure came crashing down at the words spoken so roughly. He brought his head back up to look into Damon's icy eyes, hating the fact that most of the ice was gone and replaced with lustful fire, but loving it at the same time. Ric had Damon's boxers off quickly, shoving his index finger into his mouth. He was pushing his own covered erection against Damon's, which caused the vampire to make another sound of pleasure. Alaric pulled his finger out of his mouth and began to kiss Damon deeply, very slowly sliding his finger into Damon's entrance. The vampire winced at the tight pain, but it was gone before it got worse. His undead body adjusted to it so quickly that soon Damon felt more pleasure than pain. He pushed himself down, forcing Alaric's finger deeper inside him and letting a small groan escape from his mouth into Ric's. Damon pulled away from the human's lips, breath escaping him. His eyes fluttered shut, head leaned back and exposing his smooth neck.

"More," He commanded, spreading his legs farther. Alaric obliged, sliding a second finger into Damon. The vampire took in a short breath at the new pain, but it soon turned to pleasure as Ric pushed in and out, gently. Again, Damon wanted more, and he wished Alaric wouldn't be so careful, but he wasn't going to say anything more just yet. He took it that Ric knew what he was doing somewhat, and he wasn't going to question it.

A few more moments and Alaric's fingers hit a spot inside Damon that sent white-hot pleasure throughout the vampire's body, and his back arched, a loud moan coming from his mouth. When Damon settled back on the bed, Alaric pulled his fingers out, causing Damon to silently whimper in longing for the human to be inside of him again. He would never admit that out loud, though. Alaric quickly removed his own boxers and returned to being on top of Damon, placing light kisses up the vampire's toned stomach, chest, and neck. Ric's lips brushed across Damon's, the human's dark, green eyes locking with fierce blues. Alaric felt a heavy tug at his heart while he looked in Damon's eyes, but he ignored it. He was trying his hardest not to put his heart into too much of his time with Damon, because if he didn't give his heart to anyone, it wouldn't get broken again. If he forced himself to believe he _wasn't_ falling in love with his best friend (when he knew he damn well _was_), there would be no intense emotions to worry about, and no sadness to deal with.

So, Ric crashed his lips hard to Damon's as he pressed himself into the vampire's entrance, slowly sliding inside. Everything about it felt perfect to him, but he was afraid of hurting Damon, so he kept his slow intrusion. Once he was completely inside, he started to set a peaceful pace, pleasure shooting through him with every thrust and every touch of Damon's lips. The vampire threw his head back again as Alaric hit that spot once more, and he couldn't help the flow of blood to his eyes as well as his fangs protruding inside his mouth. He looked back at Alaric, baring his razor sharp fangs, and he leaned up to the human's ear, speaking softly.

"You don't have to be gentle…I won't break."

Without giving Alaric any time to respond, Damon bit into his neck, loving the painful moan that emitted from Ric's mouth. Sweet, coppery, warm, life-filled liquid poured down Damon's throat. It soothed the burning and made Alaric's now quicker and harder thrusts much more enjoyable.

Ric moaned again, pleasure sending his body almost completely over the edge of sanity. "Damon…" He couldn't help but slam into the vampire as hard as he could, causing Damon to pull his fangs out of Alaric's neck and groan very loudly. Alaric stared at Damon and found himself getting incredibly turned on by his blood all over the vampire's mouth, chin, and neck. He kissed Damon, loving the taste of his own blood and moving his hips faster and faster. Damon sucked on Alaric's bottom lip, getting every drop of blood he could before licking his own lips clean. He felt drips on his chest from Alaric's neck, and he quickly licked the wound completely clean, smiling to himself when Alaric moaned quite loudly again. Without thinking, he pushed Ric out of him while he turned over on the bed, all his movements too fast for the human to see. When Ric realized what Damon had done, he dropped his feet to the floor and pushed back into the vampire hard, a deep moan coming from Damon as he did.

"Fuck me, Ric." The words slipped from Damon's mouth before he even knew he spoke them. Alaric slammed into Damon relentlessly, as hard as he could, his eyes fluttering shut and his hands gripping Damon's hips with such ferocity, Alaric would have mistaken _himself_ for the vampire in the relationship. Damon's voice pulled Ric out of his thoughts. "Fai l'amore con me, Alarico."

Alaric recognized the language as Italian, but he had no idea what Damon had said. Nonetheless, hearing Damon speak it turned him on, and with that he could feel his climax coming swiftly. It built up in his groin and forced his hips to move even faster. His nails dug into Damon's hips, drawing blood and the wounds healing quickly, over and over. He hit Damon's sweet spot repeatedly, watching as the vampire gripped the bedding as well as bit it, a little too hard. It ripped, and for some reason the sound sent Ric into complete bliss. He moaned and painted Damon's insides and toppled over the man, and the vampire cried out in pleasure as he neared his orgasm, as well. His release was euphoric, followed by shudders of white-hot pleasure. He moaned Alaric's name softly, perhaps too soft for the human to hear if he wasn't lying over Damon, kissing the vampire's shoulders.

Both men were panting, and both were smiling as Alaric slowly pulled out of Damon and dropped off of him, lying on his stomach as Damon was. He wrapped his arm around Damon's waist, looking into the vampire's blood-filled eyes, still smiling. "You're perfect, Damon."

The Salvatore tried to return his face to normal, but found it was difficult. He could still smell Alaric's wound, which was also still bleeding even though he had licked it clean earlier. Regardless, Damon smiled sadly and ran a hand through Alaric's hair. "You should hate me like this." His voice was quiet, like he was ashamed of saying anything.

"I don't." Ric gripped Damon's side. "You're still perfect to me, in every way. Fangs don't change that."

As Damon stared in Alaric's bright eyes, his face slowly returned to normal. His fingers played with Ric's hair. "They should. I've taken everything from you, Ric, but you're here telling me I'm perfect."

Ric sighed. "I'm falling in love with you, Damon."

"What?" The look on Damon's face sent pain through Alaric's heart, but he shoved it aside, now ready to reveal his feelings and not caring that his heart could get broken again.

"I know I shouldn't. I know you've killed me, twice. I know you killed my wife and turned her into a heartless vampire. I know you kill people and hurt people and you don't care about anyone's feelings whatsoever and you don't think about _anything_ before you say or do it. I know you're reckless, and fearless, and incredibly stubborn." Alaric paused for a moment, waiting for a sarcastic remark from Damon but getting nothing. "But, what I also know is you've been there for me constantly, and you actually care about me no matter how badly you show it. You're the only person in my life who will drink bourbon with me until we both forget about every single one of our problems and just sit there, talking. The time I've been spending with you has made me the happiest person I've ever been in my life, and while I still have a shitload of problems, I don't even fucking care about them…as long as I get to forget them with you."

The biggest, sweetest, most fantastic smile Alaric had ever seen on Damon spread across the vampire's face, and before Ric could say anything about it, Damon pressed his lips to Ric's. Alaric felt relief wash over him as he kissed the man who had destroyed his life, but had also fixed it completely.

\\/

"Alaric? I have to go-stairsup." A very drunk Damon stared into the abnormally bright green eyes of Alaric's ghost. He felt like the room was spinning around him.

Alaric smiled, finding Damon's slurred speech completely adorable. "You're cute, drunky. Let's get you in bed." The ghost stood up without making a sound, pulling Damon up with him. He had to stare at his grip on Damon's hands to make sure he was grasping tightly, because he could barely feel anything from the contact no matter how hard he gripped. Damon stumbled constantly, his vision blurry and his legs giving out on him. He was acutely aware of Alaric's grip on his hands and waist as the ghost led him up the stairs and into his bedroom. Damon smiled and dropped on his bed.

"We had sex in here."

Laughing, Alaric lay next to the vampire. "Yes, we did."

Damon propped his head up lazily on his hand, his lidded eyes looking at Alaric. "I like having sex with you."

"I liked having sex with you, too." A sad smile lingered on Ric's lips. He knew things would be different now, but he wasn't ready for it, and he wished desperately that he had never died.

Damon pouted out his bottom lip. "Liked? You don't like it anymore?"

Ric shook his head and brushed a lock of black hair from Damon's face. "I don't mean it like that, babe. Of course I like having sex with you, it's just upsetting that we can't do it anymore."

"We can't?" The vampire had obviously forgotten that Alaric was dead, and Ric didn't know how to tell him. He didn't want to break his heart all over again.

"No, Damon. You're drunk, remember?" Hot tears fell down Alaric's face, but disappeared as they dripped from his chin. "You need to go to sleep."

"I can't go to sleep, until you love-make to me." Damon's head fell to the pillow and his eyes drifted shut as he spoke. He kicked off his shoes, throwing his arm around Alaric's torso.

The ghost had to force himself not to start bawling. "I can't make love to you, Damon, you need to go to sleep."

Damon visibly relaxed, and let out a breath. "I love you, Alaric."

"I love you, Damon. Go to sleep." Alaric kissed Damon's forehead, tears still falling from his eyes. Moments after Damon had fallen asleep, Alaric disappeared.

**A/N: I hope you liked this (: Please review!**


	9. Chapter 9

Ric turned up in Jeremy's room, sitting in the desk chair. The boy jumped violently and removed his headphones from his ears, breathing heavy. "Fuck, Ric, you scared the shit out of me!"

"Stop cursing, Jeremy." Alaric smiled.

"Yeah yeah, whatever." Jeremy laughed and sat up on his bed a little. "Why are you here instead of with Damon?"

"He's drunk, and he fell asleep…he forgot I was dead."

Jeremy's eyes widened. "What? How?"

Alaric sighed. "I don't know. I guess he thought not being able to feel me was the numbness from the alcohol. He started talking about sex, and…I almost lost it."

"Lost it, how?"

"I started crying, but I couldn't cry too hard or else he would notice and I'd have to tell him I'm dead and break his heart all over again and I couldn't bring myself to do that to him. Since he was drunk, he would have reacted a million times worse than before."

Jeremy ran a hand through his disheveled hair. "Yeah, he would. I'm sorry, Ric. I wish there was something I could do to help."

"It's alright, Jere, there's nothing you can do. It's just nice to finally have someone to talk to about Damon." Alaric stood up and started pacing, not making a sound as he did. "This is already almost too much to handle. I'm so glad he can hear and see me now, but Damon is entirely too sexual to not want to do anything _eventually_,and having that in my mind is gonna drive me insane."

"I know exactly how you feel. It was like that with Anna for a while, then when I could actually feel her, it screwed up everything. I'm not saying that will happen with you and Damon, because it probably won't. You and him are too close to let something like that come between you. Your bond will get stronger over time, and you'll eventually be able to feel each other again, then it'll be like you never died to begin with."

Alaric pondered this, slowing pacing and smiling to himself. "How long do you think that'll take?"

Jeremy shrugged. "I have no idea. Bonnie says it just depends on the strength of your bond. Like, how much you push to see him, how much he pulls to see you, how much you communicate and touch."

"I guess that won't take long at all, then." Alaric continued pacing, thinking of how much he would give to be able to feel Damon's skin against his again. "I'm so selfish, but I honestly don't care."

"How are you selfish?"

"Even in death, I want Damon all to myself. Any normal person would want their significant other to move on with their life and be happy, but I'm so selfish that I can't let him do that."

"You're not selfish, Alaric." Jeremy said. "You guys didn't have a lot of time together before you turned and became a completely different person. Damon lost you a long time before you died."

Alaric felt tears welling in his eyes again as he sat back down in the chair. "I was so terrible to him when I was a vampire. I almost killed him, I told him I never loved him. God, how do I even live with myself after something like that?"

"You don't. You're not alive."

For some reason, the words hit Alaric harder than they should have, and the ghost let his tears finally fall as he held his head in his hands. "I have to be strong enough for both myself and Damon, but I'm not. He was right, this is too much. I just need to stay away from him." Alaric hated that he was crying in front of Jeremy. He had never done it before, and he certainly didn't want to start then, but he couldn't help it. He felt so defeated.

Jeremy touched Alaric's knee. Neither of them could feel it. "You don't need to stay away from him, Ric. I guess you guys just need to get used to this."

"I can't. I can't get used to being dead. Damon certainly won't get used to it, how can I?"

Jeremy sighed. "You love him, right?"

Alaric pulled his head up and looked at the boy. "Yes, but that's not enough anymore."

"It _is_ enough." Jeremy sounded much older than he normally did. Ric found it strange, but he listened anyway. "Just let him live his life, and you'll always be there for him. That's exactly what you told me when you died."

"You're not my _boyfriend_, Jeremy! I don't have sex with you, do I?"

Jeremy laughed a little. "No, but maybe that's the problem with you and Damon."

"Me not having sex with you? Jeremy, I'm not a pedophile. Sorry." Alaric smiled. "Plus, I don't even see any other man in the same way as I see Damon. I'm not gay…it's just, _him_."

"You've told me that before, and I think it's the sweetest thing I've ever heard. But, what I meant was that maybe your relationship with Damon was based too much on sexual things, and not enough on an emotional level. So, now that you're dead and you guys can't fuck each other, it's more difficult to be around him."

"What did I say about cursing?" Ric gave Jeremy a look, which made the boy smile.

"Sorry. But, you know what I mean, right?"

Alaric sighed heavily. "I do, and you're probably right. I just…I don't know what to do about it."

"Just remember that whatever you have with Damon now, it started as a friendship. You two were friends way before you kissed him, way before you were sneaking around to see each other, and way before you had sex. It doesn't make any sense to me to let anything force that to be forgotten."

A smile creeped on Alaric's face, and the ghost looked in Jeremy's dark eyes. "Thank you."

With that, he was gone again, appearing at the boarding house and slipping into Damon's room again. He watched the vampire sleep, smile never leaving his face.

**A/N: Sorry this chapter is so short, I thought it would be nice to have a Jeremy/Alaric moment (: Reviews are addicting, so please leave them. I'm not sure where I'm taking this story yet so just bear with me if things get a little boring.**


	10. Chapter 10

\\/

"Alright, you have your choice," Damon slurred towards Alaric, standing at the bar inside the Mystic Grill, tons of different drinks in front of him. "Bloody Mary, Screwdriver, Brunch in a Bottle." The vampire downed a shot of whatever he had poured into his glass and chased it with orange juice, then looked at Ric, who was still sitting there grading papers. Damon sighed. "Come on, Ric, I can't drink all this by myself. Well, I mean, I _can_, but you know…somebody's getting _naked_." He eyed the girl bartender heavily, and Alaric felt a large stab of jealousy in the pit of his stomach. The human still didn't look up completely, and Damon rolled his eyes and touched Ric's shoulder gently. "I can't believe you're making me drink alone."

Still looking at his papers and incredibly agitated, Alaric finally spoke. "I'm _busy_."

Damon poured himself another drink, slightly hurt at Alaric's annoyed tone. He certainly didn't show it in his voice, though. "It's the eve of Klaus-ageddon, and you're doing homework? You were _all_ about having fun last night, loverboy." The vampire wagged his eyebrows, and Alaric's heart tugged heavily, but he had had enough.

"This may come as a shock, but I am not here to hang out with you." Even as Damon kept on with the classic eye-fuckery thing he did, Alaric didn't falter in his speech, no matter how badly he wanted to kiss the smirk off Damon's face. "I'm here to see Jeremy, who is an hour late for his shift."

"Kids today, where are their values?" Damon stared dramatically off into the distance, hoping to get a laugh from Alaric, but all he got was a paper dropped in front of him. He glanced at it, and saw that it had Jeremy's name on it.

"That's his mid-term paper. Copied it straight off the internet, didn't even try to hide it." Ric started gathering his things.

Damon smiled. "Ooooh, somebody's getting grounded."

"Did you say you were waiting for Jeremy, as in Jeremy Gilbert?" The blonde bartender asked Alaric. He sighed.

"Yeah."

"He was fired last week." She walked away, and the smile on Damon's face got much bigger.

"Oops," The vampire poured scotch into two separate glasses as Ric's face fell and annoyance emitted from him. "Looks like it's time to go back to my place for sex and whiskey."

"No, Damon, it's not." Whether Alaric agreed with Damon or not, he still took the scotch from him and downed it.

The vampire leaned in closer to Ric, pouting out his bottom lip and giving the man his best puppy dog eyes. "Come on, Ric, you know you want to."

Alaric sighed again. "I do, but I can't. I have to inform Jeremy's sister of his _erratic_ behavior." He jerked his head back, and Damon looked over Alaric's shoulder at Elena sitting with Bonnie at a table. He smiled.

"Look at _you_, being all father figure," Damon said, stepping a little too close to Alaric. He leaned down again, this time to the human's ear. "It's hot."  
The low voice in his ear sent electricity throughout Alaric's body, but he tried not to show it. "Damon, we're in public. Stop." Alaric knew Damon was drunk, and that was the only reason he was acting that way but it was beginning to get all over his nerves and he didn't know what he would do if he snapped.

"Aw, why can't I flirt with you? No one can hear." Damon's lips were terribly close to Alaric's. It took all either of them had not to kiss each other.

"Elena is _right_ back there, and as far as she knows, you're her little plaything, so go flirt with _her_." Ric looked from Damon's gorgeous baby blue eyes to his undeniably perfect lips. Everything in his body was trying to pull him into the vampire, trying to force him to kiss those perfect lips, but he resisted.

Damon's expression visibly changed, and he stood back up, sipping his scotch. "Dick."

"Yeah," Alaric stood up and pressed his lips to the vampire's ear. "Mine was in you last night." He walked away, towards Elena, leaving Damon at the bar with his mouth hanging open.

That night, after an entire day of dying, coming back to life, then almost dying again, Alaric was completely exhausted. Not to even mention the fact that Jeremy was leaving after being compelled to do so. The human's heart hurt, he knew he would miss Jeremy, but he also knew it was what would be best for the boy. He didn't need to be around all of the shit that was going on in Mystic Falls.

After putting the jeans he had died in in the washing machine, Alaric started to head downstairs to refill on whiskey. The front door was open, and he heard Elena and Damon talking on the porch, and another sharp pull on his heart made Alaric remember what had happened at the bar earlier with Damon. He sighed and stopped at the first landing of the staircase, crouching down and listening intently to what was going on outside. He could see Elena standing by herself.

"No, you know what?" Damon's voice said. "If I'm gonna feel guilty about anything, I'll feel guilty for this." Then, Damon stepped on the porch, took Elena's face in his hands, and kissed her.

Sinking. Alaric's heart was sinking, all the way down into the pit of his stomach. Cold, lifeless shame poured over him as he watched the man he was falling in love with, kiss someone else. He clenched his chest, trying to get the tight pain to go away, but it didn't. It got worse as he stared at the scene in front of him. He wanted to look away, to save himself from this pain, but he couldn't. It was like a fucking car crash that he couldn't take his eyes off of.

"Goodnight," Damon said to Elena, staring in her eyes. The girl stood shockingly still as Damon walked away and disappeared into the night. After a few moments, Elena turned to walk back inside, and Ric quickly stood back up, acting like he was just walking down the stairs.

"Hey, I'm going to-" Elena started, but Alaric held up his hand.

"Bed. Gotcha. I'm going out to get more whiskey before the liquor store closes." Ric's voice was emotionless. He couldn't give away anything, because if he did, he knew he would most likely smack the shit out of Elena, and that wasn't right at all. She had no idea about he and Damon, it wasn't _her_ fault that he felt like his heart had been ripped from his chest.

She stared at him. "Are you okay to drive?"

"Yeah, why wouldn't I be?" Alaric stepped past her and threw on his jacket, taking his keys out of the pocket.

"Because you died…? Ric, are you sure you're okay?" Elena's voice was laced with so much concern, it almost made Alaric sick to his stomach.

He sighed, but didn't look at her. "I'm fine, Elena. Just go to bed, and lock the door. I'll be back whenever." He didn't give her time to respond before he walked out and shut the door behind him.

\\/

Daylight streamed in small cracks from the curtains in Damon's bedroom, and his head still swam from the ridiculous amount of alcohol he had drank the night before. The vampire opened his eyes, expecting to see Alaric lying beside him, but he didn't. Sighing, he sat up. "Ric? Where'd you get off to?"

Almost immediately, the ghost appeared, standing a foot away from Damon's bed. "Hey. You slept almost all day." The smile on his face never faltered as he sat down at the end of Damon's bed.

"I drank an entire fucking brewery, what do you expect?" Damon's hand shot up to his head, throbbing mercilessly. "You wouldn't be able to get me any aspirin, would you?"

"Nope. Inanimate objects fall right through my hands unless I'm just touching them briefly."

Damon sighed, getting out of the bed. "Well, you're just _loads_ of help." He smiled at Alaric.

"You're capable of getting it yourself, I'd just be spoiling you." Ric stared at Damon's perfect smile, wanting to kiss those lips, but forcing himself not to.

Damon's eyes washed over the ghost's entire body. "I wish you _would_ spoil me, stud."

"Alright, Damon, let's go downstairs and get you some aspirin before you get too rowdy." Alaric's lips turned up in a smile before he pushed Damon towards the door to the bedroom. The vampire rolled his eyes, but walked out of the bedroom and down the stairs, ghost close behind him. Before they could get to the kitchen for aspirin, they found Jeremy and Elena in the living room. Damon sighed.

"What do you two want? I'm very busy."

"We just came to see how you and Alaric are doing," Elena said, smiling warmly and walking up to Damon. "Jeremy told me Bonnie did the spell yesterday."

"Yeah, she did, and it worked. Look, Elena, my head hurts _really_ bad, and I need some medicine. I'll be back in a minute." Damon sped out of the room and into the kitchen. He fiddled through the medicine cabinet and found the small white bottle full of pills, and he was about to open it when the most magical scent filled his nose. He found the source of it; an open bottle of blood. It was warm. He assumed Elena had left it there when she heard him coming down the stairs. Damon stared at it, feeling his face change and his fangs slip down. He didn't want it. He didn't need it. He wasn't going to be Stefan…he couldn't be. He had Alaric back. He didn't need blood until he was stable again.

But the scent flowed around him, enveloping his senses and making him step towards the counter. He took the bottle in his hands, arms trembling. Every bone in his body felt like it was twisting and tensing up with anticipation, but Damon put the bottle back down, his head clearing as he pictured Alaric's perfect smile in his mind. He started to walk away.

Something warm was on his hand, and he looked down to see a few drops of the blood on his finger. Before he could think, his finger was in his mouth. He sucked all the blood away. When there was none left, he turned back to the bottle of blood and poured the crimson liquid in his mouth.

It wasn't enough. His throat burned for more. He _needed_ more. He needed it fresh, he needed to feed.

Damon sped into the living room again, shoving Elena out of the way and sinking his teeth into Jeremy's neck. Fresh, hot, sweet blood filled his throat and instantly the burning went away. He ignored the boys screams, as well as Elena's shouts. Alaric's voice is what pulled him out of his animal-like state. He shoved Jeremy away from him, Damon's face never returning to normal but complete and utter terror engulfing his expression.

"What the _fuck_ is wrong with you, Damon?!" Ric shouted at the vampire, but before Damon could respond, Elena had him pinned to a wall. Damon stared at her vampiric face for the first time.

"If you _ever_ hurt Jeremy again, I will fucking kill you, understand?" She sounded too much like Katherine. Damon couldn't take it. He pushed her, too hard, and she flew across the room, slamming into the drink cart and falling to the floor. Glass shattered everywhere and Elena was soaked in whiskey. When she stood back up, Damon was gone.

**A/N: Ten chapters! :D I guess I was just kidding about the boring part o_o To be honest, I'll probably have the next chapter up within the next few hours, so do not fret, my dear readers (: PLEASE REVIEW THIS CHAPTER.**


	11. Chapter 11

\\/

Alaric Saltzman stepped out of his car and slammed the door behind him, walking with his fists by his sides up to the front door of the boarding house. He knocked hard, and didn't stop, even when he heard Damon coming down the stairs.

"I'm coming, Jesus! Calm the fuck-" When Damon opened the door, Alaric pulled back his fist and punched the vampire in the jaw as hard as he could, then turned back around and walked towards his car. He knew it wouldn't hurt Damon for long, but it had definitely made Alaric feel much better.

When he gained his composure back, Damon sped to block Ric from getting in his car. His expression was confused. "Okay…what's the problem?"

"You kissed Elena, _that's_ the problem." As soon as he said the words, the pain in his chest started again, but he ignored it and focused on his anger.

Damon stared at Ric. "Why are you mad?"

"_You kissed someone else_! You kissed someone else after I told you I was falling in love with you…after we had _sex_, Damon!" Alaric couldn't help the rise in his voice. His heart was beating way too fast and he was getting to a point where he could barely even look at Damon anymore. "Do you have _any_ idea how much it fucking took to tell you all of that? Do you even know how goddamn much I care about you?"

Damon stalked up to Alaric, fierce blue locking with dark ivy green. "I seem to recall you _telling_ me to flirt with Elena."

"I DIDN'T TELL YOU TO _FUCKING_ _KISS_ HER!"

Damon pressed himself into Alaric, his own anger pumping through his body. "She _has_ to think it's real, Ric. She has to believe that I'm in love with her or everything comes crashing the fuck down and I risk losing _you_!" The vampire pushed Alaric at the last word. The human shoved Damon back.

"YOU DIDN'T HAVE TO KISS HER!"

"SHE HAS TO BELIEVE IT'S REAL!" Damon growled. He stayed a few feet away from Alaric, because he could feel his face changing and his fangs appearing in his mouth. No matter how mad he was, he knew he didn't want to hurt Alaric.

Before the human could say anything back, Stefan appeared in-between the two of them, his hands extended. "What's going on?"

"Nothing, Stefan, I was just leaving." Alaric stared at Damon. He could feel tears behind his eyes. "I knew not to get involved with a fucking vampire." Ric stalked to his car, slamming the door as he got in.

Damon tried to stop him. "No, Ric, _please_, don't leave! Stay here and yell at me, hit me, I don't care…just please don't leave."

"What's the goddamn point, Damon? You're just gonna do whatever the hell you want and not even think about anyone else when you do."

As Alaric started the car, Damon was running out of things to say. "You can't leave, Ric-Alaric, _please_!" The vampire's eyes pleaded, but the human still glared back at him.

"Don't fucking talk to me ever again." After that, Alaric sped off, leaving Damon to fall to his knees. His brother was standing behind him, bewildered at what had just happened.

After a few more moments of silence, Damon was back in the house in a flash. He flipped over the drink cart, not even staying to watch as all of his alcohol shattered out of the glass containers. He poured books off shelves and knocked down anything and everything he could.

He had lost Alaric. He had lost the one person who actually cared, the one person that would put up with his bullshit. He had pushed too much, and Ric wasn't going to get hurt anymore. Damon couldn't blame the human at all. He had been through a shitload, and Damon had only made it worse. He wanted to slam his head onto a stake repeatedly.

"Damon, what the hell is going on?" Stefan. His voice annoyed Damon, but the older brother turned around anyway.

"You wanna know what's going on? I fucked up. Shocker, right? Damon 'fuck up' Salvatore lost another person in his life, and it just so happened to be the most important one this time." Damon walked up to Stefan, looking in his brother's eyes with so much sadness. Stefan knew he had never seen Damon like that before. "I love him, Stefan. I love him, and I just let him leave."

"You love Alaric? Like…?"

"Yeah. _Love_. Like you love Elena." Damon kicked the broken glass at his feet, still wound up.

Stefan shook his head and spoke softly. "I don't love Elena."

"CUT THE SHIT, STEFAN!" Damon's voice boomed throughout the huge house. His face was inches from his brother's. "I don't give a _fuck_ what you say, I know you love Elena or you wouldn't have come back here when you found out Klaus was messing with her life. That's not the point, though."

"Then what is, Damon? The fact that I'm finding out my brother and my friend have been fucking each other while I was gone?"

Damon felt tears on his face. His voice shook. "Fuck you." The older brother shoved Stefan away from him, then went to go upstairs.

"Where are you going?"

"Away from you, because apparently I can't talk to you about _shit_." Damon didn't look at his brother as he ascended the stairs.

Stefan stopped Damon on the first landing. "Damon, wait-"

"NO! You obviously don't give a fuck."

"Yes I do, Damon!" Stefan held his brother by the shoulders. "Can't you understand that it's shocking to me to find out you and Alaric have been together?"

Damon sighed, and looked anywhere but at Stefan. "Yeah, I guess."

"So, don't be mad at me." Stefan smiled, and pat Damon's arm.

"I'm not mad at you. I'm mad at myself."

"You wanna tell me what all happened?"

Damon turned and continued up the stairs. "Not gonna share any more of my feelings, Stefan. Sorry." Before Stefan could say anything else, Damon disappeared into his room, closing and locking the door behind him. He went into his closet and dug into the back, finding his large bottle of century-old scotch. He had been saving it for when something _really_ bad happened. So, he drank straight from the bottle and started calling Alaric over and over.

\\/

Alaric found Damon in the cemetery. The vampire was sitting on the ground across from a grave, drinking some form of alcohol from a large bottle and staring at the gravestone in front of him. Alaric soundlessly walked to Damon, standing behind him and not saying a word. They were like that for a few minutes, Damon completely aware of Alaric behind him because of his scent. Then Damon felt bold.

"I should be dead. This is my grave." The vampire took another large swig from his bottle of century-old scotch, which was more than halfway gone from the last time he had drank it.

Alaric looked at the gravestone more closely. It read _Damon Salvatore, 1840-1864. Beloved son and brother._ Sighing, Alaric sat down next to Damon. "You shouldn't be dead. Then I wouldn't have gotten to love you."

Damon shook his head slowly. "You shouldn't love me. You should never have met me. When I died in 1864 I should have _stayed dead_. Instead, I turned into a fucking monster. I've hurt you and so many other people and I want to just not care like I used to, but then I wouldn't care about you."

"You're not a monster." Alaric spoke sternly, but Damon still shook his head. "Damon, look at me." The ghost moved Damon's face towards him. He kept his hands on the vampire's cheeks, cool tingles being all he could feel. He stared into sad, icy, blue eyes. "You are not a monster."

Damon's eyes lingered in Alaric's stare for a moment before he pulled his head away, drinking more scotch. "_I_ should be dead, Ric, not you."

Again, the ghost sighed, fully aware that he didn't _need_ to breathe. "If you were meant to die instead of me, you would have. Obviously, that's not the case."

"I just want the pain to go away. I want it to stop. The guilt is too much for me to carry around with me…it makes me do stupid shit like attack Jeremy."

"That wasn't guilt, Damon," Alaric's hand found Damon's knee. "That was the fact that you hadn't fed in almost a week."

The vampire scoffed. "Yeah, I hadn't fed because of the guilt."

Fed up with Damon's moping, Alaric stood back up. He kicked Damon in the thigh to get his attention. "Get up, and follow me." Ric started walking, paying no mind to Damon.

"Where are you going? Ric!" The vampire sloppily stood up, dropping the bottle of scotch, and almost fell down as he followed Alaric through the cemetery, into the newer section. Alaric stopped in front of one of the Gilbert plots. _Jenna Sommers, 1980-2010. Loving sister, daughter, and aunt._ Alaric stared at the grave, and Damon sighed. "Ric…"

"For the longest time, I couldn't forgive myself for starting something with you right after she died. That's why I was so damn emotional most of the time, and I apologize for that. After you told me you loved me for the first time, I came here. I told Jenna I was sorry for lying to her so much, and I was sorry for being with you. I didn't say I was sorry for loving you, because I wasn't. I can't help how I feel, and I slowly started to realize that as I stood there staring at her grave." He paused and sighed again, but Damon didn't say anything. Alaric continued. "Then, the guilt faded away. It just disappeared, and for another long while I felt guilty for _not_ feeling guilty, which was just stupid all around."

"You're a teacher, you're not supposed to make sense." A small smirk crept on Damon's lips.

Alaric turned to face Damon, taking the vampire's hands in his. Neither of them cared that they could only barely feel the touch. "We're all monsters, Damon. I am. I've done terrible things, too. You're not the only one."

A single tear fell down Damon's cheek as he held on to the ghost as tight as he could. He didn't look at Alaric. "I can't forgive myself, Alaric."

"You _have_ to. You'll never get over my death if you don't forgive yourself for all the things you did before I died." Alaric stepped closer to the man in front of him, placing a finger underneath his chin. He pulled up the vampire's face. "Damon, _please_. I love you. Please stop feeling guilty."

Damon leaned his head against Ric's, pain engulfing his face. "I can't," He whispered. "I'm sorry."

"Listen to me, Damon." Alaric's voice was soft. He ran his hand through Damon's hair, light tingles letting him know he was actually touching the vampire. He pressed himself into Damon. "You don't need to feel guilty anymore. _I forgive you_."

Damon didn't have time to respond, because Alaric kissed him. The two didn't notice how they were slowly able to actually feel each other's lips, until Alaric pulled Damon's body closer to him. The vampire quickly jumped away, frightened.

"What the fuck, Ric!" He said, panting for some reason. "I can feel you! I can fucking feel you!"

Alaric didn't say anything. He just smiled and pulled Damon back to him, hugging the vampire so tight that he was afraid of breaking him.

**A/N: I hope you like this little sad/happy chapter :p The end of this chapter is dedicated to Bocamere, they wanted Damon & Alaric to be able to feel each other again and I hope I wrote it to their liking (:**


	12. Chapter 12

\\/

"_Hey, Ric, it's Damon. I'm just making sure you got home alright. Call me back._"

"_That last message was stupid. I know you're not gonna call me back, but at least just let me know you got home alright._"

"_Okay, I know I'm annoying you with these messages, but I feel terrible. Please call me back, or text me, or something. I really want to talk to you._"

"_I'm sorry, Ric. I'm sorry I kissed her, I'm sorry for everything. Please call me._"

"_Alaric…please…_"

Alaric could tell Damon had gotten more drunk with each message, and he sighed to himself as he deleted them all and tossed his phone down on the kitchen table. He was running out of whiskey, and he mentally kicked himself for not actually getting more while he was out. How else was he going to drown away the burning pain in his chest?

He stared at his phone. He wanted to pick it up, call Damon, and apologize for driving off. He wanted to talk to the vampire for hours, just to get everything straight with their relationship.

"Straight. Yeah, right." Alaric mumbled to himself before finishing his glass of whiskey, and pouring himself more.

He wanted to give in to his emotions, but he couldn't. He wasn't going to call Damon. It hurt too much, and he wasn't putting himself through it anymore. As he told the vampire himself, Damon was going to do whatever he wanted and he wouldn't think twice about anyones feelings when he did.

Flashes of the black-haired vampire kissing Elena shot through Alaric's mind, sending his chest into another fit of deep pain. He drank more of his whiskey. The burn in his throat wasn't even half of the pain that was going on in his chest, but it helped his mind get rid of the god-awful images.

Before he could refill his glass again, his phone vibrated. Of course, it was Damon. Alaric let it go to voicemail and waited for the notification to pop up on the screen, then he immediately checked the message.

"_If you won't answer my calls, I'm coming over there. I need to talk to you._"

Ric deleted the message and sighed, setting his phone back on the table again. He contemplated going to his loft, but he knew that would be the second place Damon looked. He had nowhere to go, nowhere to hide from the vampire. Alaric picked up his phone and opened a new text message.

_Don't come here. I don't want to see you._

He knew it was a lie, but he also knew that seeing Damon would hurt worse than being away from him. So he didn't bother to correct himself before he sent the message. A few seconds later, as Alaric was pouring another glass of whiskey, his phone vibrated once.

_You listened to my messages, so you have to care somewhat. Please, Ric? I have so much to say_.

"Yeah, well, I don't want to listen." Alaric said to himself before he turned his phone off, not replying to Damon's message. He stood up, taking the bottle of whiskey with him as he entered the hallway and ascended the stairs. His head was already starting to swim, which meant he would be able to sleep easily pretty soon. When he got in his bedroom, he shut and locked the door, as well as all the windows. He knew it wouldn't keep Damon out, but maybe it would send him a warning. Alaric then stripped and entered the bathroom, whiskey bottle still in hand. He started himself a second shower and got in quickly. He set the bottle of whiskey on one of the ledges of the tub, sitting down with his back to the spray of hot water. He relaxed a little bit as he let his eyes slip shut and let out a large breath. Taking another swig of whiskey, Alaric leaned against the side of the tub. He forced himself not to think of Damon, but it was proving more and more difficult as he became more tipsy.

At least the pain in his chest had stopped.

Alaric sat in the shower like that for at least twenty minutes before making himself get up. He almost stumbled back down as the alcohol took its effect. Turning the water off, he realized he hadn't gotten himself a towel from the hall closet, and he cursed under his breath. He carried his almost empty bottle of whiskey with him back into his bedroom.

"Naked shower drinking, I never thought I'd see you get to that level."

Alaric jumped at the voice, looking up and seeing Damon staring at him with a giant smirk on his face.

"Get the fuck out of here, Damon!" Ric tried not to raise his voice so he wouldn't wake Jeremy or Elena, but with all the anger pulsing through his body, it was difficult.

The vampire's eyes went down Alaric's body, then back up again, stopping on the human's groin. "Are you _sure_ you don't forgive me? I could persuade you into it, if you want."

"I don't want you anywhere fucking near me." Alaric opened one of the drawers of the dresser next to the bed, getting out a pair of sleep pants and putting them on. He gulped the last of his whiskey and looked back at the vampire. "Get out, Damon."

"Not until you listen to me, Ric-"

"I'm not gonna listen to you, I don't want anything to do with you anymore." Alaric cut Damon off, making sure to stay a good bit away from him as he pointed to the bedroom door. "_Get. Out_."

Damon stared at Ric for a moment. "I'm not leaving."

"Yes," The human searched through the dresser again, pulling out a very sharp wooden stake. He turned back to Damon. "You are."

"Ric, _please_-"

"Don't you _dare_ beg me, Damon Salvatore. This is _your_ fault." Alaric pointed the stake at Damon, and the vampire's eyes flashed with hurt. Ric ignored it. "Get out."

Damon took a step closer to Alaric. "I'm not leaving, Ric. Not until you listen to me."

"You don't deserve me listening to anything you have to say." Ric forced himself not to look at the incredibly hurt look on Damon's face, because he knew he would break if he did. He held the stake tightly in his hand.

"You're right, I don't." Damon said, still stepping closer to the human. "But, I'm not leaving, until you _do_ listen."

"I will shove this so hard into your chest, Damon, I don't even think you realize."

"You won't hurt me, I know you." The vampire smiled as he pressed his body against Alaric's bare front.

Sighing, and looking at the ceiling, Alaric pushed the wooden stake as far through Damon's stomach as he could. The vampire hunched over, and Ric held him up, speaking in his ear. "Obviously, you don't know me well enough." He pulled the blood-covered stake out of Damon's stomach, letting the vampire fall to the floor. Alaric stood over him as Damon rolled on the floor in pain. "Are you gonna leave now?"

"I…love-you…"

Alaric froze in place, still standing over the bleeding vampire. He felt tears welling in his eyes, unable to control it. "What the fuck did you just say to me."

Damon rolled on his back, so he could look at the human standing over him. "I love you, Alaric."

"Get out."

"Ric-"

"_Get out_!"

Damon disappeared, and Alaric sat on his bed, trying not to cry. Without any more alcohol to numb himself, he failed.

Alaric pulled on his jacket without a shirt, and didn't even bother to put any shoes on before he left the house and got in his car again, driving towards the cemetery. Once there, he found the grave he needed and fell to his knees in front of it, tears streaming down his face.

_Jenna Sommers, 1980-2010. Loving sister, daughter, and aunt._

\\/

**A/N: creys ): review, please? :D**


	13. Chapter 13

"Go on, Damon. You can't stand out here forever."

"Oh, but I _can_, and if it means I don't have to go in there and look like even more of a pansy in front of everyone, _I will_." Damon held Alaric's hand tightly, smiling despite the fact that he did _not_ want to go inside the Gilbert house and apologize to Jeremy for attacking him. Ric was making him, though, and Damon was going to do it…but not without a little dramatic flair.

"You won't look like a pansy, Damon." Alaric said, laughing a little. "You'll look like more of a man than you ever have."

Damon shook his head as he let go of Ric's hand and started to walk towards the house, finally. "I beg to differ, hot stuff."

Alaric didn't say anything else, he only smiled as he followed Damon up the steps and onto the porch. Damon knocked, and Elena answered with a very mean look on her face. "What do you want, Damon?"

"Elena! How are you?" Damon smirked heavily at the girl, and Alaric shoved him a little, forgetting that Elena couldn't see him. "Sorry, uhm, I'm here to see Jeremy."

"Oh no, you're not getting anywhere _near_ Jeremy." Elena tried to shut the door, but Damon stopped her.

"I want to apologize, Elena."

"Do _you_ want to apologize, or is Alaric _making_ you?" The girl had a smug look on her face as she tried to shut the door again, but Damon was older and stronger.

"Well of course Ric is making me, but if I didn't want to do it then I'd tell him no." Damon smiled, his charm overflowing. Alaric rolled his eyes.

"Tell her to stop being so damn proud and let you apologize."

"Oooooh, she's not gonna like that. Are you sure?" Damon grinned.

Elena stared at Damon, mad that she couldn't see Alaric. "What? I'm not gonna like what? What did he say?"

Damon pushed past the girl, stepping heavy on the wood floor of the house. "Ric said to stop being so proud and just let me apologize." When Elena's mouth dropped, Damon threw his hands up. "Hey, _his_ words, not mine."

"Well, _Ric_, for your information I am not proud, I just don't want Damon anywhere near Jeremy." Elena sighed, closing the door. "But, if Alaric thinks you're okay to be around Jeremy, I guess I have to let you. He's in his room."

Smiling, Damon ascended the stairs slowly, Alaric following him soundlessly. The vampire tapped on Jeremy's bedroom door with one finger. The boy answered, saw Damon, and instantly went to close the door back. Damon stopped him from doing so, just like he had done with Jeremy's sister. "Let me in, Jere, I wanna talk to you."

Jeremy ignored Damon and looked at Alaric. "Get him out of here."

"Jeremy, let him in." Alaric spoke sternly to the boy, who sighed and stepped aside, letting the ghost and the vampire enter. Ric slid his fingers through Damon's as they stood in front of the human boy. "Damon has something to say to you."

"I don't wanna hear it. He attacked me, after I spent three days of my time helping him. He's a lost cause, Ric. I wouldn't be anywhere near him, if I were you." Jeremy's words were venomous, but so was Damon's stare.

"He's standing right here, and frankly, you're starting to piss him off." The vampire gripped Alaric's hand tighter, glad that he finally had Alaric's touch to keep him calm.

Ric pulled Damon back some. "Damon, stop." His voice was still stern. He turned back to Jeremy. "If you remember correctly, I was a lost cause too, Jere. You, Elena, and Damon believed in me, and I got better. All I'm asking is that you give him a chance, for me."

"You weren't a _vampire_, Ric! You couldn't attack me and drink my fucking blood!"

"Don't talk to me like that, Jeremy."

The boy sighed. "I'm sorry, Ric."

Damon looked from Jeremy to Alaric, then back to Jeremy. "Before Ric puts you over his knee, I'm gonna apologize."

Jeremy stared at the vampire, bewildered. "What?"

Letting go of Alaric's hand, Damon stepped to Jeremy. "I'm sorry I attacked you, Jere. It wasn't right, no matter how hungry I was. I _apologize_." The vampire's face scrunched up in disgust, like it pained him to say the word.

Jeremy smiled. "Thanks, Damon. I really appreciate that."

"You're welcome." Damon sighed, then turned back to Alaric. "Can we leave now?"

The ghost laughed and pulled Damon to him again, kissing his cheek. "Yes, dear."

"Aren't you just the _sweetest_."

"Wait, you can feel each other again?" Jeremy blurted, unable to keep the words in his mouth.

Damon sighed and pulled away from Alaric, keeping his hands on the ghost's hips. "Yes, Jeremy."

"Since when?"

"Yesterday." Alaric let go of Damon and started to talk out of the room. "We need to go, though, Stefan is waiting for us at the boarding house. Thank you for listening to Damon, Jeremy."

"Yeah, yeah. Bye, Ric, Damon." Jeremy smiled and shut his bedroom door when the two exited.

Elena heard Damon coming back down the steps, and she sped from her position on the couch in the living room, to the bottom of the stairs. "Well?"

"Don't act like you didn't listen in." Damon smirked as he took Alaric's hand again. "Bye, Elena. Ric and I have shit to do." Before Damon got to the front door, Elena stopped him.

"Thank you, Damon. For apologizing. I didn't think you even felt bad for what you did."

Damon sighed. "It's no problem, Elena. And just so you know, I didn't do it because Alaric asked me. I apologized because I feel terrible for what I did." Without giving the girl a chance to respond, Damon walked out of the house, still holding Alaric's hand.

\\/

"You're late. We're supposed to meet Bonnie at the old witch house in ten minutes." Stefan was fully dressed, standing in the doorway to Damon's room. "How did it go with Alaric last night?"

"He shoved a stake in my stomach and kicked me out after I told him I loved him. So, I'd say it went pretty well." Damon was in a towel, just having gotten out of the shower. He was trying to push Alaric out of his mind so he could focus on Klaus's caskets, but there Stefan was ruining his perfect composure.

"Well, hurry up, we have work to do. Klaus isn't gonna spontaneously self-destruct." Stefan didn't comment on Alaric anymore. For one, he had no idea what to say about it, but he also didn't want to put his brother in an even worse mood.

"I'll be done in a minute." Damon's voice was emotionless. He walked away from Stefan, leaving his brother to worry.

Fifteen minutes later, Damon was ready and the two brothers headed downstairs. Damon sped to the basement to get himself a blood bag. While he was down there, someone knocked on the front door, and Stefan answered it.

Alaric stood in front of him. "Is, uh…is Damon here?"

Stefan looked at him strangely. "Yeah, but, why are _you_ here?"

"I don't know. I really don't." The human sighed. "I feel bad for how I reacted last night, and…I just want to talk to him."

Before Stefan could say anything else, Damon appeared in the hallway again. They locked eyes, and Alaric's stomach felt like it did a backflip when he saw the vampire. Not thinking about what he was doing, Alaric pushed past Stefan and took Damon's face in his hands, kissing the man as passionately as he could.

He didn't care, he didn't care about any of it. He just wanted to feel Damon's lips against his again.

Pulling away slowly, and smiling widely, Alaric's eyes stared warmly into Damon's. "I'll call you later."

"Please do." The vampire smirked, holding on to Alaric's sides. He kissed Ric lightly and the human never dropped his smile as he turned and walked out of the house.

Closing the door behind Alaric, Stefan looked terribly confused. "Okay…what the hell was that?"

"I don't know, brother," Damon said, still smirking heavily. "I guess I'm forgiven."

\\/

**A/N: I know this one is short, but I'll have the next chapter up soon! Please tell me what you think of this chapter :D**


	14. Chapter 14

Alaric pushed Damon against the wall, trailing his lips from the vampire's neck up to his jaw. The two had barely made it up the stairs of the boarding house before they had started kissing. Alaric may have been dead, but he could feel Damon's cool skin underneath his lips, as well as the vampire's own lips moving in time with his. That was all that mattered.

Ric pinned Damon's arms up as he kissed the man, making the vampire moan at Alaric's display of dominance. "You're entirely too excited, Ric."

"I haven't been able to kiss you since we were sitting in that fucking tomb waiting for me to die, so goddamnit Damon, _please_ let me enjoy this." Alaric didn't let Damon respond before he crashed their lips together again. The ghost made sure to put as much passion into every movement as he could. He had missed Damon's touch entirely too much to _not_ be passionate about kissing the man again. Before he knew it, Damon picked up Alaric and wrapped the ghost's legs around his hips, then he sped both of them up to Damon's bedroom. He dropped Alaric on the bed.

"I am gonna fuck you, and you are gonna like it." Damon's voice was hungry, and ferocious. Alaric loved it. He pulled the vampire down on top of him, pressing their lips hard against each other. The vampire started to undress Alaric, beginning with unbuttoning his shirt and running his cool hands down Alaric's warm front. When he tried to take Alaric's shirt off, he couldn't get it past the man's shoulders, and he pulled away from Ric's lips. "What the fuck is going on."

Ric stared at Damon, who's eyes had darkened, blood filling them. "What are you talking about?"

"I can't get your shirt off," Damon pushed and pushed, but the cloth stayed on Alaric's shoulders. "It's like it's stuck to you." The vampire bared his fangs for a moment before he got off of Ric. "You're dead. Your clothes aren't real, so I can't get them off you."

"Damon…" Alaric was speechless. He had no idea how they had forgotten about Ric being dead, but there was no way to take back what had just happened. Damon had realized it, and his mood was going to spiral down because of it.

The vampire picked up the lamp on his bedside table and threw it across the room…it shattered on the wall. "This is _fucking_ ridiculous!"

"Damon, stop, please-"

"I'm not gonna calm down, Ric! _You're dead_, and I guess even if I can fucking feel you, I'm still reminded of it every goddamn day." Damon paced, and Alaric's eyes never left his intense face.

"I'm sorry, Damon." Ric wanted to stand up and pull Damon to him, but he didn't. He knew Damon didn't want to be touched right now. "At least I'm here."

Damon stopped pacing, turning his fierce, tear-filled eyes to Alaric. "Yeah, you're here, but you're _dead_, Ric. You're not a vampire, you're not human…you're dead."

Alaric sighed, finally standing up and walking to the vampire. "Jeremy gave me some advice yesterday, and I'm gonna take it."

"You're gonna take advice from a sixteen year old boy?" Damon pulled his face away when Ric tried to touch him.

Ignoring him, Alaric continued. "We need to remember that our relationship is based solely on the friendship we had _before_ I kissed you. We don't need to have sex to show we care about each other."

"No we don't, Ric. It's just nice to make love to you every once in a fucking while." A single tear fell down Damon's face, and Alaric wiped it away. He absolutely hated seeing the vampire cry, and he wanted to do everything in his power to prevent it from happening ever again.

"I know it's nice, but it can't happen right now. _Please_, don't cry."

Damon looked away from Alaric. "Can you just…leave for a little bit?"

Ric stared, frozen in place. "What?"

"Leave, Ric," Damon still wasn't looking at the ghost. "I need to be alone."

As soon as Damon finished the sentence, Alaric was gone, and the vampire let his tears finally fall.

\\/

Alaric and Damon walked beside each other towards the Mystic Falls Founder's Hall, for another fake fundraiser to cloud the Council meeting that was taking place. They had been talking about Stefan and his humanity, but things were beginning to get a little awkward and Damon decided to break the tension. He stopped Ric and turned the man to face him while they stood in front of the house.

"So, what changed your mind, Ric?"

Alaric sighed. He knew this conversation would happen sooner or later, but he hadn't been looking forward to it. "I just thought about some things, Damon. It's nothing. Why are you suddenly so interested in how I changed my mind?"

"I'm interested because I care about you, Ric." The vampire paused, not wanting to say what was coming next. "I feel bad for what happened and I have no idea how you found it in that big heart of yours to forgive me." Damon smirked, hoping to relieve some of the tension between the two of them. It seemed to work. Alaric smiled a little.

"I guess I'm just willing to put up with your shit. It _is_ what I signed up for when we started this, after all."

"You don't have to put up with it, Ric." Damon ran a hand down Alaric's jacketed arm, wishing he could feel the man's skin. He kept his thoughts to himself. "I can leave you alone, if you want."

Alaric took Damon's hand in his, and held Damon's face with the other. "I don't want you to leave me alone. Okay?" All Damon did was smile. He stood up more and kissed Alaric lightly on the lips, but the human pulled away quickly, pushing Damon a little. "What the hell are you doing? We're in public, Damon!"

"Relax, Ric," The vampire stepped back to Alaric, his smile turning into a smirk. "Everyone is inside, not paying any attention to us."

Ric sighed and took Damon's hand again, turning towards the Hall. "When will a Council meeting ever _just_ be a Council meeting?"

Laughing, Damon squeezed Alaric's hand before letting go and beginning to walk into the fundraiser. "I don't know, stud, but let's get in here before Liz sends out a search party."

Near the end of the night, Damon had to separate from Alaric to write a check for the clever rouge of the Wickery Bridge renovation, and he had found Klaus talking to Carol Lockwood. After _that_ lovely interaction, he went upstairs to look for Ric, but found his brother about to kill one of Klaus's hybrids. Needless to say, Damon stopped Stefan from doing anything rash, and he disappeared. After Damon talked to Stefan on Elena's phone, he had had just about enough of the night, and found Klaus, pulling him into a side room and shutting the door quickly.

"Stefan just grabbed Elena." His tone was serious, but the hybrid seemed uninterested.

"Aw, he's getting desperate."

"He's gonna try and use her against you, do what he says." Damon didn't even have enough will left in him to try and fight with Klaus, so he kept his tone annoyed. "Get rid of your hybrids."

Klaus looked up at Damon, grinning just a bit. "Or what? Stefan would never dream of killing her."

"Are you sure about that? He just tried to behead someone in the middle of a Council party, he's operating on _crazy_ right now."

The grin on the hybrid's face got bigger. "Crazy or not, that kind of love never dies. He's bluffing."

Damon seriously wanted to rip out Klaus's heart, right then and there. He was getting extremely impatient. He stalked to the hybrid, power emanating from him. "Maybe he is, maybe he isn't, but if you don't wanna believe him, _believe me_. I know my brother better than anyone and right now, I don't have a _clue_ how far he's willing to take this so if he says blink, _I suggest you blink_."

Klaus stared into Damon's icy blue eyes, another grin lingering on his lips. "Does Stefan know you're gay, or have you chose to keep your little fling with the school teacher a secret?"

Damon was frozen still in front of the hybrid. He felt pure fury building inside of him. "What."

"I imagine Elena has no idea, or else everyone would know." Klaus tapped his chin, acting like he was pondering. "The way you kiss him shows how much you actually care about him, and here I was thinking you only cared about yourself."

"I will kill you." Damon spoke from behind his teeth, his body beginning to shake with anger.

Klaus turned away from the vampire and began to pour himself a drink. "No matter, I'll just find him and question him, myself."

"Go near him, and I will stake you so many times that you'll _beg_ me to rip your heart out." Damon forced himself not to touch the hybrid, because he knew he wouldn't win a fight against him. The vampire did however, knock the drink out of Klaus's hand.

Klaus's expression turned annoyed, and he let out a breath. "You're making me angry."

"Yeah? Well I don't give a shit." Damon was about to burst with complete fury. "I swear to God, if you go anywhere near Alaric, I will fucking torture you for the next thousand years of your pathetic existence." After that, Damon walked out of the room, sniffing the air and finding Alaric's scent. He followed it to the front of the house, where he saw Ric with a dark-haired woman. She seemed to be flirting with him, and Damon wasn't having _any_ of that. He stalked to the two, grabbing Alaric's arm. "Hey, Ric, who's your friend? We have to go, _now_."

Alaric pulled his arm out of Damon's grip, but didn't say anything to him. He turned to Doctor Fell, smiling a bit. "I guess I'll catch you later."

Damon walked away from Alaric, waiting for the man to catch up to him. When he did, the vampire glanced at him. "Klaus knows about us."

"What? How?" Ric stopped walking when they were next to Damon's car.

"I have no fucking idea, but this is bad." Damon looked around, making sure there wasn't anyone else around. He pulled the keys to his car out of his pocket and handed them to Ric. "Take my car to the boarding house and get yours, I'll meet you at the Gilbert house later."

"Damon-"

"We can't be here, Ric! Not while he's around, not while there's a risk of you getting hurt. _Go_." The vampire kissed Alaric quickly before disappearing, leaving the human bewildered.

\\/

**A/N: This chapter isn't very eventful but I suppose I'm using it to set up what's going to happen next (: Please tell me what you think!**


	15. Chapter 15

\\/

"Wait, how did Klaus find out about you and Alaric?" Stefan asked Damon, while they were on the phone. Damon was walking Elena home from Wickery Bridge, and she was a good bit ahead of him, so she couldn't hear the conversation Damon was having with his brother.

"I'm an idiot, and I kissed him in front of the Founder's Hall. Stefan, if Klaus comes anywhere near Alaric-"

"He won't. I'll make a deal with him." Stefan cut Damon off. "Don't worry about this, Damon. Worry about Elena, she needs you right now."

Damon rolled his eyes, looking up at the girl in front of him. She had her arms crossed as she walked. "Yeah, she needs me because of what _you_ did. You really suck sometimes, brother."

"On that note, I'll see you later." Stefan hung up before Damon could say anything else, and the vampire sped up to Elena, who was walking up on her porch.

They had a nice, short conversation, in which Elena repressed her feelings for Damon, which Damon found cute…seeing as he had none for her anymore. Damon waited until she went to bed before quietly climbing into Alaric's bedroom through the window. The man was listening to music on the stereo, and Damon recognized it as some band called Paramore that Elena had told him about several times.

"_I could follow you to the beginning,_

_just to relive the start._

_Maybe then we'd remember to slow down_

_at all of our favorite parts._

_All I wanted was you._"

The vampire smiled to himself as he listened to the lyrics of the song. "You are just _too_ adorable, Alaric Saltzman."

Ric jumped, hitting his head on the baseboard of the bed. "Goddamnit, Damon, when are you gonna stop doing that?"

"When you stop listening to girly bands." Damon smirked as he sat down beside Alaric on the bed, placing his hand on the spot where the human had hit his head. "Are you hurt?"

Alaric gasped when Damon touched the now extremely sore spot on his head. "Yeah, I'm pretty fucking stupid."

"You're not stupid, Ric. Here." The vampire bit his wrist, drawing blood. He held it close to Ric's mouth, and the human sighed, but pressed his lips to Damon's wrist. He swallowed as much of the coppery liquid as he could before Damon pulled his wrist away. "Down, boy, that's enough. How does your head feel now?"

Alaric picked up the remote for the stereo and turned the volume down before answering. "Great…thanks." There was still blood on his lips as he stared at Damon. The vampire watched intently as a single stream of the crimson liquid slipped down Alaric's chin, almost dripping off. Damon couldn't help it when his face switched from human-like to vampire, and he leaned in close to Ric. He slowly licked the blood from the bottom of Alaric's chin up to the human's lips.

"Are you sure we can't fuck when Elena's in the house?" Damon's voice was barely above a whisper. He was still staring at Alaric's blood covered lips.

Everything in Alaric's body was telling him to push the vampire down and kiss him everywhere, but his better judgement flared up, and he wiped the rest of the blood from his mouth. "We can't, Damon. I'm sorry." The human shifted uncomfortably on the bed, trying to hide his tightening pants and quickening heartbeat.

"Alright, I'll stop." Damon sat back as he smiled, and his face returned to normal. "So, what are the things you thought about that made you forgive me?"

"This again?" Ric gave Damon an exasperated look. All the vampire did was smirk, and Alaric sighed. "You _really_ wanna know?"

"The curiosity is _killing_ me."

Smiling, and running his hand through his disheveled hair, Alaric prepared himself for what he was about to say. "I overreacted, just a little. While it _did_ fucking kill me to see you kiss Elena…I should've known something like that was bound to happen with you and her eventually. So, I apologize for overreacting, and for staking you." The human paused and took both of Damon's hands in his. He sighed, looking in the vampire's eyes. "I love you, and whatever unconventional thing we have going on here…I don't want to lose it."

Damon found himself speechless as he stared warmly into Alaric's ivy eyes. The vampire completely forgot about all of the fucked up shit that was going on around him as utter happiness washed over him. Joy took over his body and he couldn't help it when a smile erupted on his lips. His hand let go of Alaric's to trail lightly up the human's neck, twisting his fingers in Ric's soft hair. The vampire leaned his head against Alaric's forehead, still smiling, and the human's breath hitched, only a little, as he closed his eyes.

"Damon…please say something." Alaric barely whispered the words.

The vampire gripped Ric's neck more. "I love you, Alaric Saltzman."

Ric smiled and opened his eyes again. He was met with Damon's fierce stare, and he kissed the man in front of him. Neither of them deepened it; that wasn't needed. The kiss was simply showing both of them that they were, indeed, in love with each other.

\\/

Damon wanted to crush the phone that was in his hand. On its screen was the only picture of he and Alaric kissing that existed. At the time, Damon did _not_ want to take the picture, but Alaric had insisted…so they took it. The picture had ended up being the wallpaper on the vampire's phone ever since.

Damon had no idea why he was looking at it, but he began to regret sending Ric away as he stared at the two of them in the picture. Damon's arm was extended, as he was taking the picture, and Alaric's hand rested lightly on Damon's neck, holding their lips together. It really was the most simple picture, but it displayed Alaric and Damon's love for each other so well.

"I'm a fucking idiot," Damon had dropped his phone on the bed, not able to look at the picture anymore. "I am seriously the most stupid person on this entire planet."

The vampire believed that, too. He was entirely too emotional, and he had sent Alaric away without a second thought.

He hated himself.

**A/N: I'm sorry for all the short chapters but I'm building up to some things & yeah...no spoilers but please bear with me & ALWAYS REVIEW! :D**


	16. Chapter 16

Damon picked up his phone again, trying not to look at the picture on the screen before he dialed Jeremy's phone number. The boy answered sleepily.

"Damon…?"

"Is Alaric with you?" Damon tried not to sound desperate, but self control escaped him.

Jeremy let out a breath. "No, why? What's wrong?"

"Nothing, I just miss him." The vampire stood up from his bed and began to walk downstairs, realizing something. "I think I know where he is. Thanks, Jere." Damon hung up the phone and sped out of his house, not even bothering to shut the door behind him.

He arrived at the cemetery a few minutes later. He saw Alaric standing in front of his own grave this time, and the vampire sighed, walking up to the ghost. "We gotta stop meeting like this."

"I thought you wanted to be alone." Alaric didn't look up at Damon at all. He didn't even move.

"I didn't. Ric, you know how I get when I'm upset." Sighing, Damon stepped in front of Alaric, right over the man's grave. He tried to take the ghost's face in his hands, but Ric pulled away. "I'm sorry. I really am."

"Wow, I get a genuine apology from Damon Salvatore. I really am dead."

"I've apologized for a lot more than this, and you know that." The vampire pressed his body to Alaric's. "You know you can't stay mad at me _forever_." The smirk on Damon's face lightened the mood just enough to where Alaric lifted his head and sighed at the man in front of him.

"You're right, I can't, but I _can_ give you hell for it." Ric wanted to smile, but he couldn't. He had too much on his mind. Apparently, it showed on his face, because Damon squeezed Alaric's sides and looked concerned.

"What's bothering you?"

"Nothing, Damon. Let's just get out of here…we come to this damn cemetery too much." Alaric walked away from Damon, not making a sound as he did. He didn't know which direction he was walking, but he didn't care. He just wanted to move. When he heard Damon following him, he put his hands in his pockets so the vampire wouldn't be able to intertwine their fingers. Alaric didn't know why, but he just didn't want Damon to touch him right then.

"Where are you going?" The vampire was now walking next to Alaric.

"I don't know. I'm just walking."

After that, the two didn't say anything. They both just moved forward, getting lost in their thoughts.

\\/

"Thank God, another day drinker." Meredith Fell dropped her purse on the bar and sat on the stool next to Alaric, smiling at the man. "I lost a patient, what's your excuse?"

"I put a kid on a plane." Alaric wasn't even going to _begin_ to mention his night with Damon. He tried not to look annoyed that the woman was talking to him. He didn't want to deal with her, she flirted with him _way_ too much.

She seemed genuinely interested. "Yours?"

"No…it's a long story." Ric was hoping his vague answer would make her leave him alone, but she didn't.

"Hm, then you should probably buy me a beer." She smiled, getting a little too close to Ric for his comfort.

He sighed. "Look, Dr. Fell-"

"Meredith. You can call me Meredith."

"Okay…Meredith," Alaric smiled a little at her. "I know you're trying to be nice, but I'm kind of involved with someone, so I don't want you to get the wrong idea."

The woman stared at him, shock enveloping her face. "Well, I guess I've made myself look pretty stupid, haven't I?"

"You haven't, it's okay. No one really knows about it, so if you could just keep it to yourself?"

"It's that man from last night, isn't it?" A smile formed on Meredith's face as she realized it.

Alaric felt his cheeks get hot, and he looked away from her. "What? That's ridiculous. I'm not gay."

"How did I not see it last night? You were with him the entire time at the fundraiser, except for a little while at the end when I started talking to you. Then he showed up out of nowhere and dragged you away from me."

Ric sighed, realizing that she was too smart for him to keep it from her any longer. "You're the third person in a two day period to find out about it. Are we really that sloppy?" He laughed a little at himself, then downed the rest of the beer that was in front of him.

Meredith smiled. "Why do you need to keep it a secret?"

"He's…" Alaric paused, not knowing if he could trust her with the information. She beat him to it.

"A vampire? Yeah, I picked up on that, too. You'd be stronger than him if he wasn't, and he grabbed your arm pretty good last night."

Ric stared at her, smiling. "What else do you know about me?"

"Buy me lunch, and maybe you'll find out." She had a sly smile on her face as she walked away from Alaric, sitting down at one of the tables. Ric got up and sat with her.

"You're not still trying to flirt with me, are you?" He asked her, still smiling a little.

Meredith laughed. "No, I'm not. Couldn't you use a friend, anyway? Something seemed to happen last night with you and…?"

"Damon. His name is Damon."

"Ah, right. Damon Salvatore, I should have known him from the Council." She said, shaking her head at herself. "Anyway, what happened that he was so adamant about you both leaving?"

"To be honest, I'm still not even really sure. After he left, I took his car and went home, and he met me there a few hours later. We don't really talk about important things much when we're alone." Alaric smiled to himself as he remembered Damon giving him blood to make his head stop hurting, and Alaric admitting he loved Damon.

"Okay, I'm not gonna inquire about _that_ anymore," Meredith laughed again and smiled at Ric. "You haven't seen him since last night?"

"No, he couldn't stay. I had to take Jeremy to the airport and Elena would flip her shit if she knew about Damon and me."

Meredith looked at him strangely. "Jeremy? Elena?"

Alaric sighed again, and reluctantly explained _everything_ to Meredith, leaving out anything about Klaus. He didn't want to put her in danger, she was being really nice to him. It took him most of their meal to finish his story, and when he was done, he chugged his entire glass of beer. "I've got a pretty fucked up life, don't I?"

"You do, but it's okay. Everyone does…yours is just a little more exciting." Meredith smiled at Ric, which he found oddly comforting even though he had just divulged his entire life story to her. "So are you gonna have a fake girlfriend to cover up your thing with Damon?"

Her voice pulled Alaric out of his thoughts. "I've thought about it, but it would probably just make him jealous."

Meredith leaned in close to Ric, lowering her voice. "He owes you, after he kissed Elena. You should have your own little fake thing going on to throw your friends off. I'd be happy to do it for you."

"You would? Well, I might just take you up on that offer." Alaric smiled at her. He knew Damon would get extremely pissed if he knew Ric was there with Meredith, but he didn't really care. It felt nice to be able to talk to someone, and _just_ talk, so Alaric didn't let himself feel too bad for it.

"Ric!" The all too familiar voice came from the entrance to the bar, and Alaric looked up behind Meredith to see the smirking, entirely too handsome face of Damon getting nearer.

Meredith looked behind her and started gathering her things when she saw Damon. "Well, I better get going, I've got rounds in fifteen minutes. Thanks for lunch."

"Yeah, sure," Alaric stared at Damon as the vampire approached, feeling his heart skip a beat at the sight of him. "Take care, Meredith."

The woman smiled and walked past Damon and out of the bar. Damon sat in her seat and looked at Alaric, confused. "Is that the girl from the fundraiser last night?"

"Yeah, why?"

"She just seems really interested in you," Damon shrugged. "Who is she?"

"My doctor." Alaric sipped at his new glass of scotch the waitress had brought him, loving the feeling of the alcohol burning down his throat.

Damon stared at Ric. "She's a doctor?"

"Mhm."

"What's her damage?"

Alaric gave Damon a look. "No damage?"

The vampire smiled and waved down the waitress that had just walked away. She would bring him a glass of whiskey, without him asking. She and several other employees of the bar had been compelled to do so. "Come on, Ric, it's a fact of life. A girl that hot, that smart. _Damage_."

"True. It's not like it matters, anyway. I'm with you. But her ex did call her a psycho case."

"Yeah, but when it comes to her ex, it doesn't count."

Alaric pondered for a moment. "I wonder what my exes would say about me."

"Nothing. They're all dead." Damon took his glass of whiskey from the waitress and took a swig, smiling to let Alaric know he was only joking.

"You're just_such_ a caring boyfriend, aren't you?" Ric laughed.

"Hey, as long as you call me your boyfriend, I'll be anything you want me to be, stud." The vampire waggled his eyebrows at Alaric, who couldn't help but smile. It sent shudders through his body whenever Damon called him "stud."

Alaric tried to ignore his increasing arousal as he shifted in his seat. "Well, her ex is the medical examiner, so I guess he's dead-adjacent."

Damon stared at Ric. "She dated the medical examiner?"

"Yeah." Alaric's eyes were glued to Damon's perfect lips, and he wanted so much to press his own lips against the vampire's…

"I don't think he's dead-adjacent, I think he's just _dead_."

Ric shoved all sexual thoughts about Damon aside. "…what?"

"Murdered." Damon leaned a little closer to Alaric. "The Sheriff's trying to keep a lid on it because he was staked in the chest like a goddamn vampire."

"Meredith didn't say anything about that. Who do you think killed him?"

"I don't know, but if I was a cop, your sexy-doctor-lady-friend would definitely be a suspect." The vampire downed his drink, waving at the waitress to get him another. "Why were you having lunch with her, anyway?"

Alaric sighed heavily. "She found me here day drinking and tried to flirt with me. When I told her I was taken, she guessed it was you, and I couldn't lie."

Damon's mouth dropped, as did his hands on the table. "Is everyone just fucking psychic lately, or what? Why can't we keep this shit together, Ric?"

"I don't know, Damon." Alaric laughed. "She wants to be my fake girlfriend, though."

The vampire stared at Alaric for a few moments. "…and did you tell her to fuck off?"

"Obviously not. I think it's a good idea, it'll make whatever Klaus eventually says about us look even more like a lie." Alaric took the glass of whiskey from Damon's hand and sipped at it. The vampire's face visibly calmed.

"That _is_ true."

Alaric smiled, and stood up, pulling out his wallet and setting enough money for the bill on the table. "So, you continue your thing with Elena, and I guess I'll be calling Doctor Fell for dinner sometime."

"Sounds like a master plan, stud." Damon smiled as the two walked out of the bar together. "When are you gonna take _me_ out to dinner?"

"When you meet me at my apartment for sex." Alaric had leaned in to Damon's ear, and his voice was low. He didn't let Damon answer before he walked to his car.

The vampire couldn't help but smile to himself as he pictured in his mind all the things he was going to do to Ric as soon as they got to the human's apartment.

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**A/N: I hope you guys enjoyed this semi-long chapter (: Please review telling me if you'd like to see bottom Damon again or bottom Ric? I'm debating very heavily on the subject. Thank you for reading this far, my lovelies :D**

**ALSO IF ANYONE WOULD LIKE TO COLLAB WITH ME ON WRITING AN OC/KLAUS FIC THAT MIRRORS THIS AU WITH THE OC AS ALARIC'S SISTER, PLEASE REVIEW OR MESSAGE ME. 3**


	17. Chapter 17

Alaric couldn't help himself when he took his hand out of his pocket and gripped Damon's hand tightly. They had been walking for a good half hour or so, not saying anything to each other, and Ric didn't want Damon to worry about him. He may have been worried about them both, but Damon didn't have to know that.

The vampire smiled when Ric took his hand, but he didn't say anything. He knew Alaric wanted to just walk silently, and he didn't have any problem with that. It felt nice to Damon for the two of them to be able to spend time together without some impending doom hanging over their heads, and without having to sneak around in secrecy. The vampire wished things could have been like this before Alaric died…walking together under the bright full moon, crisp, cool air hitting their cheeks. Leaves crushed under Damon's feet, but not Alaric's. The ghost walked completely void of sound. Damon found solace in that, for some reason. He felt like Alaric was at peace, in silence. That couldn't have been true, however, because for Alaric's ghost to be at peace, he wouldn't be there with Damon. When the thought entered Damon's mind, he couldn't help the reaction his body had. He tensed up, his grip on Ric's hand tightening, if only for a moment. Damon knew it was selfish of him to want Alaric to roam the earth for the rest of eternity, never moving on and finding peace. He knew that, but he barely cared at all. He had been through Alaric's death once already, and he was still going through it. He didn't want to experience it all over again. But was it worth Alaric's suffering?

"What's it like, Ric?" The vampire's voice sounded like a knife to metal in the silent, cold air around he and Alaric. He almost regretted opening his mouth, but his curiosity pushed regret aside.

Alaric's face scrunched in confusion. "What's what like?"

"Being a ghost," Damon's voice had lowered, and he pulled Alaric closer to him. "You don't make a sound when you walk, you don't need to breathe at all, you can disappear and reappear in an instant. What's it like?"

Ric stopped walking. They were in the middle of a patch of trees. Darkness was all around them, except for a few rays of light from the moon. He turned Damon to face him, never letting go of the vampire's hand. "It's exactly like Anna explained it to Jeremy, but she left out a few things."

"What did she leave out?" Damon seemed very curious, and Alaric smiled, glad to finally be able share this with him.

"It's like every weight that had ever been poured on me has been just...taken away. The only times I feel sadness, anger, or any negative emotion is when I think about it too much. Other than that, all I feel is happy, lightweight. It's like if I let my emotions get to me, they drop over me like a blanket and I can't see through them, but when they leave…I can't even describe the feelings of bliss it gives me. I want so badly to let you have it, even just a little of it. You're so upset about my death that it's killing you, and I want you to experience some of the happiness I feel from not having any burdens whatsoever to worry about. You deserve that, Damon. You deserve to be free…but I can't give it to you."

Damon couldn't help the huge smile that formed on his face. He let go of Alaric's hand, but placed both of his on either side of Ric's face. "You don't need to give me any of your happiness. I'm glad you don't suffer anymore, so I'll carry your darkness for you for as long as I need to." The vampire looked sternly in Alaric's eyes, his ice blue piercing deeply into the ghost. "I love you. I don't care if I'm alone for eternity…knowing your suffering is gone is enough for me to let you go." Tears filled Damon's eyes as he made his decision. His heartbreaking, life-altering decision.

"What…?" Alaric stared at Damon, not quite understanding what the vampire was saying.

Damon let a single tear fall. His fingers lightly touched Alaric's hair. "You need to find your peace, Ric. I can't make you stay here with me. I have to let you go."

"No…" Alaric whispered the word. "Damon, no…"

"I won't take no for an answer. I've made my decision." Streams of tears fell down Damon's face as he pulled Alaric closer to him. "I love you. _I have to let you go_." The vampire pressed his lips to Alaric's and they shared a wet, yet passionate kiss, and Damon was prepared for it to be their last.

Alaric wrapped his arms around Damon's shoulders and pulled the vampire as close to him as he possibly could, afraid he was going to disappear. He didn't want to leave Damon by himself, he didn't want him to carry anything for Alaric. He wanted the vampire to be free of anything and everything that caused him pain, but he knew that wasn't possible. Damon Salvatore would always be burdened, for the rest of eternity.

When Damon pulled away, his lips lingered dangerously close to Alaric's. The vampire stared into the ghost's eyes, which were now also filled with tears, to match his own. "You can move on now, Alaric."

Without another word, or sound, Damon was gone, and Alaric fell to the ground, pure grief enveloping his entire ghostly body.

**A/N: I'm not gonna lie, I cried while writing this. Please tell me what you think. THIS IS NOT THE END OF THE STORY, BUT IT MAY BE THE END OF PRESENT DAMON/ALARIC, who knows. I apologize for the shortness.**

**ALSO IF ANYONE WOULD LIKE TO COLLAB WITH ME ON WRITING AN OC/KLAUS FIC THAT MIRRORS THIS AU WITH THE OC AS ALARIC'S SISTER, PLEASE REVIEW OR MESSAGE ME.**


	18. Chapter 18

**A/N: I'm putting the note at the beginning of this to let you all know that this chapter includes MAJOR blood play. So if that's something you don't like, please don't read this. For my kinky readers: I'll have another chapter up soon, please review (;**

******ALSO IF ANYONE WOULD LIKE TO COLLAB WITH ME ON WRITING AN OC/KLAUS FIC THAT MIRRORS THIS AU WITH THE OC AS ALARIC'S SISTER, PLEASE REVIEW OR MESSAGE ME.**

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"I would have climbed in your window like I normally do, because I'm _such_ a romantic like that, but you're on the fourth floor, and there were people around, and-" Damon was cut off by Alaric's lips on his neck, rendering the vampire speechless. Damon hadn't even had the chance to shut the door behind him. "_God_, you're so sexy, Ric."

Alaric smiled into Damon's neck, pulling him closer to his own body and pushing the door shut. As soon as it closed, he pushed Damon against it, continuing to attack the vampire's neck with his lips, teeth, and tongue. The sexual tension the human had built up in his body over the last few days had been too much to deal with, and he desperately needed a release. He needed _Damon_.

Alaric trailed heavy, wet kisses down Damon's neck, slipping off the man's jacket and letting it drop to the floor. He lifted Damon's dark v-neck over his head and threw it across the room. Alaric immediately attached his lips to Damon's neck again as his hands brushed all across the vampire's skin. They ended up on Damon's back, nails digging into smooth pallor. Alaric pressed himself into Damon. His body heat was increasing rapidly, and his pants grew tighter with each passing second. Damon let out a soft moan in Alaric's ear, which sent hard waves of pleasure through the human's body, and his hands found the top of Damon's pants. Ric unbuttoned, unzipped, and pulled down the restricting clothing. He was surprised to find that Damon wasn't wearing any boxers, but he didn't comment on it. He slid down to his knees, kissing every part of Damon's skin he could along the way.

The vampire looked at Alaric on his knees in front of him and he couldn't help the smirk that enveloped his face at the extremely hot scene. He slid his hands into the human's hair. "You better suck me as well as you fuck me."

"Don't worry," Alaric smiled, then slid his tongue from the bottom of Damon's extremely hard cock, all the way to the tip. His eyes never left Damon's. "I will."

Damon stifled with his speech before giving up, his head thrown back against the door with a loud thud, but neither of them cared. Alaric's mouth and tongue felt like anything and everything _better_ than the best sex he'd ever had, which happened to be Ric. The human took as much of Damon's cock in his mouth as he could, which sent more blood and more pleasure to the vampire's groin. He moaned. "Goddamn, Ric…"

Alaric continued his assault on Damon's member, loving the way Damon squeezed and pulled his hair as he did. The two continued like that for another few minutes, until Damon felt his release drawing nearer. The vampire pulled Alaric's head away from him, quickly moving the two to the bed a few feet away. Damon stripped Alaric, climbing on top of him and placing lazy kisses up the man's front. The vampire crashed their lips together and forced his tongue inside Alaric's mouth. His body was screaming at him to make Ric fuck him, make him scream with pleasure and pain. He knew that made him Alaric's bitch, but Damon honestly didn't care. He _wanted_ to be fucked, and he wanted to be fucked by Alaric.

The human bucked his hips up into Damon, causing their erections to slide together, and sending tingles of pleasure all through both their bodies. "Mmm…Damon, bite me."

A low, deep chuckle came from Damon, who's lips were gliding across the skin on Alaric's neck. "You like it when I bite you, don't you, _stud_?"

"Yes-_fuck_, Damon…" Ric took in a large breath as Damon bit down on his neck hard, but didn't break skin. It made the human writhe with longing. "Fucking bite me."

"Ah-ah, you don't _just_ want me to bite you, do you, stud? You want something else…" The vampire forced his fangs down, and he brushed the sharp tips over the artery under Alaric's skin. He pressed his lips to the human's ear. "What do you want, Ric?" Alaric's response was his back arching up again and a breathy moan escaping from his mouth. Damon smiled as he pressed his body harder into Alaric, biting lightly at the skin underneath his lips. "Tell me what you want, Alaric." The vampire's voice was extremely low and rough as he spoke into the human's neck.

Alaric felt like he was going to explode. Every inch of skin Damon's body was touching was on fire. He could barely even think properly, let alone speak. "I-_damn_…you…"

"Tell me, Ric."

Alaric moaned entirely too loudly as Damon's hand gripped his cock hard. He couldn't take it, he needed Damon's teeth in his neck, he needed the vampire's tongue lapping up every bit of blood. "Goddamnit, Damon! _Drink my blood_, bite me, fucking _tear me open_." Ric's hands shot up to Damon's head, and he twisted his fingers in the vampire's ebony hair, pushing him farther into his neck. Damon smirked just before he sank his fangs into the human's neck, and Ric flat out screamed. He didn't know if it was in pleasure or pain, but he wasn't complaining. His body writhed underneath Damon, loving the feeling of the vampire sucking the crimson life out of him. Alaric knew it was sick, and wrong, and all kinds of other things…but he absolutely _loved_ Damon drinking his blood. It was the hottest thing the human had ever seen or experienced, and he definitely couldn't get enough of it. "Suck me dry, Damon."

The vampire moaned as he swallowed mouthfuls of Alaric's blood. He ground his hips down on Alaric's, pleasure pulsing through every vein in his body. Damon pulled the human over, on top of him, releasing his teeth from Alaric's neck and gasping for breath. He looked in the human's eyes, blood flowing all over his face and neck. "Fuck me, Ric. Make me your bitch." Alaric didn't hesitate before lining himself up with Damon's entrance and slamming into him, causing Damon to cry out in pain and his eyes to squeeze shut.

Ric stared at the scene in front of him, loving every inch of it. The entire bottom half of Damon's face was covered in blood. His mouth was hanging open in a silent cry, and his fangs glimmered red. Alaric plowed in and out of Damon hard for a few more seconds before he leaned down and licked the blood from the vampire's mouth and chin. He couldn't help himself when he brought his hand up to Damon's face and smeared blood all the way down the vampire's chest. The sight of it almost put him over the edge.

"You kinky bastard." Damon's voice was hungry. He brought Alaric's hand up to his mouth and bit down on the human's wrist, then he lifted it and let blood pour on his chest. The human's eyes widened, dark lust taking over the usually sweet ivy green. Ric sped up his pace, getting harder, too. He smeared the blood all over Damon's chest as he neared his release, and he shoved his red stained fingers into the vampire's mouth. Damon sucked the blood off Alaric's fingers as the human poured his warm, white seed all inside him. Ric's free hand found Damon's throbbing cock, and he pumped until the vampire came hard, moaning Alaric's name.

Ric collapsed beside Damon, pulling out and breathing hard. He laced his fingers with the vampire's. "I have problems."

"Problems?" Damon laughed and squeezed Alaric's hand. "I think your bloodlust is hot."

"It's not like me, Damon. It's not normal."

The vampire turned on his side with a serious look on his face. "_We're_ not normal, Ric. I'm a vampire, you're a vampire hunter. I'm a million times stronger than you and I _never_ let anyone have any kind of leverage over me, but I let you fuck the _shit_ out of me. You never let anyone in and you build so many walls and keep everything to yourself, but for some reason you open up to me."

"You're easy to talk to, especially when you're drunk." Alaric smiled before getting off the bed and fumbling through his dresser for clothes. "But, I guess you're right. We're definitely not normal."

Damon got out of the bed as well, wrapping his arms around Alaric's still naked torso and speaking low in the man's ear. "Where you going, stud?"

"I have to be at the school by four-thirty for a teacher's meeting." Ric could feel his body reacting to Damon's voice and touch, so he pulled out of the vampire's loose grip and put on some boxers, then pants.

"It's Saturday."

"I know, but that school doesn't do anything right. So, I have to waste my afternoon talking about new 'policies' that don't even change anything to begin with." Alaric's tone was annoyed as he turned to face the vampire.

Damon sighed and sped into the kitchen, finding whiskey and drinking it from the bottle. He was still naked. "You're gonna go to work with gaping wounds on you and blood all over your neck?"

Ric looked down at himself, and let out a breath, shaking his head. "I completely forgot." He looked at the clock on his nightstand. It read 3:53pm. "I don't have time to shower. Fuck."

"Just wash all the shit off you, I'll give you my blood so you'll heal." Damon had walked to Ric again, sipping at the bottle of whiskey.

Alaric smiled as he stared at the naked, blood-and-cum-covered vampire in front of him. "If you don't clean up, too, I'll have to stay here and fuck you again." Ric smiled at Damon before walking into the bathroom. The human felt a wave of dizziness wash over him, and he stumbled a bit, almost falling. He was caught by Damon, who helped him up and made him sit on the counter of the sink.

"I think I took a _little_ too much blood from you this time, stud. You sit here and let me clean you up." The vampire smiled warmly at Ric, who returned the smile, but didn't say anything. Damon wet a washcloth and soaped it as well, then he lightly pressed it to the wound on Alaric's neck. The human winced and took in a breath, but Damon silenced him with a finger to his lips. "Shhh. If you keep pulling away, I'll never get done."

Alaric tried to contain himself as Damon kept inflicting more pain on his neck. The soap burned in the fresh wound and after a few more seconds, Alaric flinched completely away. "Can you heal me before you do this? It hurts."

Damon nodded, setting the washcloth back on the sink. He bit his wrist, forcing his face not to change as he pressed his arm against Alaric's mouth. The human gulped down the vampire's blood a few times before pulling away. His body felt much better, and his head wasn't dizzy anymore. Damon continued washing Alaric's newly healed neck as the human watched him intently. Ric wasn't even paying any attention to Damon's nakedness. He was admiring the warm, caring look in the vampire's iced eyes. Sure, Alaric found all the smeared blood on Damon's chest, neck, and face _extremely_ sexy…but that was far from the front of his mind. He had never seen this look on Damon's face before, and Ric wanted to study it thoroughly, just in case he would never see it again. Damon's expression was almost always either mischievous, sexy, or hurt, and hurt was the one that was most present. Alaric wished it wasn't.

As Damon finished up on Ric's neck, he moved to the human's arm, gently rubbing the washcloth over the blood. When he was done, he rinsed out the cloth with warm water and ran it over all the soapy skin on Alaric. The vampire discarded it, and smiled softly at the human. "All done."

Without warning, Alaric pulled Damon's body to him and kissed the vampire deeply. Knowing he would likely push it further, he broke away after a few moments, but kept his hand on Damon's face. "I love you."

Damon smiled wide, and grazed his fingertips over Alaric's neck. "You're gonna be late, Ric."

The human looked in Damon's eyes a bit longer, then sighed, dropping down off the sink. He washed his hands and the vampire disappeared into the kitchen. Alaric brushed his teeth quickly, then left, not saying a word to the naked vampire who was drinking the rest of his whiskey.

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	19. Chapter 19

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Damon couldn't get drunk. He had entirely too much on his mind as he sat naked on Alaric's sofa, covered in dried blood. Ric's whiskey wasn't doing anything for the vampire, even though he had drank almost all of it. Damon forced himself to get up, and he also forced his thoughts to _not_ go back to Alaric telling him he loved him, and Damon completely ignoring it. He took a quick shower and decided to go to the hospital to bug that woman Alaric had lunch with. It took him a few minutes to find her, but he leaned against one of the doorframes to an empty patient room casually, waiting for her to turn the corner. When she did, he smiled at her. "You know, we never got a chance to officially meet, Doctor…Fell."

"You're Alaric's boyfriend, right?" She looked smug. "Damon Salvatore…I saw you at the Council meeting. What are you doing here?"

Damon smirked. "Strolling the halls, waving at the newborns through the window. And, both Ric and I would greatly appreciate it if you kept our little secret to yourself, hm?." The doctor looked at him for another moment before smiling and walking past Damon. He turned. "Sorry about your boyfriend. Animal attack? Brutal."

Doctor Fell stopped and faced the vampire. "_Ex_ boyfriend, and thanks. I'm still kind of processing." She tried to walk away again, but Damon followed her.

"Yeah, I'm sure. You know, I just thought I'd come by and tell you that it _wasn't_ an animal attack, and then I realized…_you_ signed the death certificate." Damon smiled, making the doctor roll her eyes. She motioned for him to follow her into an empty room.

"Would you rather I say he was staked like a vampire?"

"Wasn't he the guy that coined the phrase 'animal attack'?"

Doctor Fell shook her head, frustrated. "Why do you even care?"

"Because Ric likes you, and if you're a psychopath, that would really suck for him, and me." The vampire sighed. "I have no idea why Ric told you about us, but if you say one word to anyone about it, I will not hesitate to make your life a living Hell."

"You think I killed my ex boyfriend?"

Damon lowered his voice, trying not to get worked up. "I think psychopaths are _incredibly_ high maintenance."

"If you care about your supposed boyfriend, go figure out how Alaric came into the ICU on his deathbed and walked out an hour later without a _scratch_, and go ahead…but I'm not gonna tell anyone about you and Alaric." The doctor glared at Damon, who began to walk out.

"Fair enough." Before the vampire could exit the room, he felt a needle shove into his neck, and he dropped to the floor, vervain filling his system.

Alaric was surprised to return to an empty apartment and an almost empty bottle of whiskey, wondering where Damon could have gone. He shrugged off his curiosity quickly; Damon always had _something_ to do, and Alaric knew that if he got in the vampire's way, he'd have a snapped neck. So, Ric put on some music and more comfortable clothes and began his daily workout, which he had been neglecting the last few days because he spent all his spare time with Damon. The human smiled to himself as he bench pressed his weights, thinking that he was getting in a _very_ nice workout when he spent time with Damon.

After a half hour or so, someone walked through Alaric's door, and the human finished what he was doing when he saw it was Damon. He sat up on his bench, wiping sweat off his face. "Hey." Ric got no answer as Damon walked into the kitchen, looking around. "What are you looking for?"

"Oh, a bunny." The vampire smiled at Alaric, his icy globes scanning the human's sweaty body. "You're good, for now."

"You're still obsessed with Meredith?" Ric watched as Damon poured the rest of his whiskey into a cup. "Don't you have an Original vampire to deal with?"

"Ah, ah, ah! Ten more of those, stud. You're gonna want to buff up if you start dating this one. Self-defense and all." The vampire poured bourbon into his cup of whiskey, a smirk capturing his perfectly sculpted face. Alaric tried not to find it charming as he stood up, walking over to Damon slowly.

"What is your problem?"

Damon sipped his strong mixture of alcohol. "Your doctor vervained me, then she blood-jacked me."

"What? I mean…when did you even see her?"

"When I went to the hospital to accuse her of killing her ex boyfriend, which _by the way_, is a very sensitive subject." The vampire had dropped in one of the soft chairs in Ric's living room. He was waiting for the human to get mad, because he knew it would happen.

Alaric stared at Damon incredulously. "Damon, what the hell are you doing, huh?"

"Why are you mad at _me_?" The vampire acted as innocent as he could, but Alaric knew it was an act.

"I told you I'd handle this! _She knows about us_, Damon. She could ruin _everything_ if you piss her off enough!"

The vampire tried to keep his cool as Ric raised his voice, but it was proving difficult. "I proved your theory, diagnosed _psycho case_. You're welcome. Now you can stay away from her and I don't have to share you."

A smile slowly formed on Alaric's face as he realized why Damon was making such a big deal about Meredith. "So _that's_ why you can't keep your nose out of it."

"What?" Damon looked confused.

"You're jealous. You don't want me to be around Meredith because she's gonna be my fake girlfriend, and you think for some reason that means you're sharing me with her." Alaric was standing in front of Damon, still smiling, and the vampire made a face.

"None of that is true."

"Damon."

"Ric."

Alaric gave the vampire a knowing look. "_Damon_."

"_Ric_! Say my name one more time and you'll send me back to the underworld, stud." Damon smiled a little. When Alaric didn't change the look on his face, the vampire's smile faded, and he rolled his eyes as he stood up. "_Okay_, Ric, you win. I'm jealous. But have you _seen_ yourself? I mean _come_ the fuck _on_! There's a _reason_ I'm always horny around you."

The grin on Alaric's face was entirely too vivacious. "And that reason is…?"

"You're gonna make me say it?" Damon whined.

"You're damn right I'm gonna make you say it."

The vampire sighed and took a step closer to Alaric. "You're sexy. Especially right now when you're all…" Damon motioned up and down Ric's body with his hand. "…like this. Can you see how I'm jealous?"

"No, but I like it when you say I'm sexy, so I'll ignore it for now." Alaric smiled and placed a small kiss on Damon's cheek before walking past the vampire and pouring himself a glass of bourbon. He remembered a few hours before, and something rattled his brain, making him nervous. "Hey, Damon, you said something earlier that kinda messed with me."

Damon smirked. "Was it earlier when we were-"

"Yes." Ric cut Damon off, and sipped his drink. "You told me to make you my bitch."

"Why does that mess with you?" The shift in the vampire's expression and body language was apparent. He averted his eyes and shoved his hands in his pockets. He seemed to be embarrassed.

"I don't know. Maybe because you're _not_ my bitch? You're not anything close to it. You're really important to me and I'd never dream of treating you like that, no matter how mad or upset I am."

Damon smiled a little, and lifted his head up to look at Ric. "I guess I just lost control of the shit that was coming out of my mouth."

"It's alright. I just don't want you thinking I _actually_ think you're my bitch, because I don't." Alaric's tone was comforting, as was the smile he gave Damon. The vampire couldn't help but admire the man in front of him; his eyes, hair, lips, smile, chest, arms…and of course his selfless soul. Damon's thoughts of how perfect Alaric was were interrupted by the human's lips on his, but only for a short moment before Ric pulled away and continued his smile. "So, I've been thinking about something-and you have to stay with me on this, okay?"

Damon pushed away his admiring expression and replaced it with his normal mischievous one. He rolled his eyes and leaned on the counter in front of him. "Okay, go ahead."

"Well, you said something about a date earlier, and I think it's a good idea." Alaric sipped at his bourbon, never taking his eyes off Damon. "It would be good for us to be normal for once. No Ripper brothers, no sacrificed girlfriends, no doppelgangers, no hybrids or Original vampires, no psychopathic homicidal doctors. Just us, dinner, and maybe some other things."

"You are just a hopeless romantic, aren't you, stud?" Damon tried to hide the giddiness he felt with a classic smirk. Alaric stared at him expectantly.

"…so is that a yes, or…?"

The vampire rolled his eyes again and moved so he was directly in front of Alaric, their bodies almost touching. "Yes, Ric, I would _love_ to go on a date with you." Before the human could respond, Damon kissed him, pulling Ric's body to his. When he pulled away, he lightly tapped Ric on the ass, trying to keep a straight face as he did. "Now go shower up, stud. Good work today. Good game? I don't know, football was invented after I finished school. Just go shower."

All Alaric did was shake his head and laugh before heading into the bathroom to shower.

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**A/N: Sorry this chapter was all fluff and whatnot, it's a filler/setup for my next one (: Always review? :D**


	20. Chapter 20

"Damon, are you okay? Jeremy said he was worried about you…" Elena's frightened voice came through Damon's phone. "Stefan and I are out, do you want us to come over?"

The vampire sat on his bed, tears pouring from his eyes. "No, Elena. Stay away."

There was a pause, and Damon heard Elena say something to Stefan about crying. "Damon, are you crying?"

"No, I'm not, just…leave me alone, please." Damon hung up the phone, downing the rest of his bottle of bourbon. He had been crying and drinking so much that he could barely even feel anything anymore, and he was just waiting until he passed out, hoping he might die in his sleep from his heart shattering all over again.

He had made the biggest mistake of his life, and there was no taking it back this time. Alaric wouldn't be there to forgive him, to take him back, to kiss everything better. He was dead, and this time, he wasn't coming back.

Damon threw the empty bottle on the floor and relished in the crashing sound it made. Destruction, that was what the vampire needed. He needed to destroy something, he needed to kill. He needed to see the fear in someone's eyes just before he tore into their neck and ripped the life out of them. He needed a distraction from the terrible pain in his body, and he knew killing would do the trick. Damon also knew that the moment he killed someone, he'd regret it. If Alaric were alive, he'd never let Damon kill anyone, _ever_. But Alaric was dead, so there was no one there to stop him.

Damon let out a growl from his throat before he sped downstairs and opened another bottle of bourbon, drinking as much of it as he could in a few gulps. He had let himself think of Alaric too much. He was letting the pain take him over, letting it overwhelm him.

_No_.

"Turn it off," The vampire spoke to himself as he gasped for air he didn't need. "All I have to do is turn it off."

"Turn what off?" Elena's wretched voice came from behind him, and Damon turned his tear-stained face to see her and his brother standing before him. He tried to stay calm, but he couldn't. Not anymore, not after _he_ was gone.

Damon slammed Stefan against a wall, his face turning and his hands gripping his brother's throat. "This is _your_ fault!"

"Damon! What the hell are you doing?!"

He ignored Elena's cries and stared at his choking brother. "_THIS IS YOUR FAULT_!" His voice was filled with power, fury, and grief. "_You_ killed him!"

"Damon, stop it, _now_!" Elena's voice was getting frantic, but she didn't dare touch Damon. She knew she'd get her ass handed to her.

Stefan spat out choking sounds as he struggled to get out of his brother's grip, but couldn't. "I-had-no…choice…"

"YOU DID HAVE A CHOICE! YOU _KNEW_ ALARIC'S LIFE WAS TIED TO ELENA'S BUT YOU STILL _LET THEM BOTH DIE_!" Damon threw his brother across the room. "YOU KNEW HOW MUCH I LOVED HIM AND YOU STILL TOOK HIM FROM ME!"

"I didn't take him from you, _he had to die_, Damon!" Stefan held his throat as he was hunched over, and Elena sped to him, placing a hand on his back. She glared at Damon.

"Alaric would have killed us all, and you know it. It's not Stefan's fault."

Damon panted, anger seeping out of his entire body. He hated his brother. He hated Elena. He wanted them both dead. "I would have found him, I would have saved him! HE DIDN'T HAVE TO DIE!"

"You wouldn't have saved him, Damon, he was _gone_!" Stefan had Damon by the shoulders, shaking him a little. "The man you were in love with was _gone_."

Damon stared at his brother's ivy eyes that looked too much like Alaric's, and he shoved Stefan off of him. "Fuck you. Fuck both of you." The steaming man sped out the door, leaving Stefan and Elena standing in the living room, completely shocked.

Stefan turned back to face Elena, who had tears in her eyes. He sighed. "We have to lock him up. I don't know what's happened with him and Alaric, but it's bad, and I can't control him if he's like this."

"No, Stefan! Let him go! Let him destroy himself." Elena let her tears fall as she walked to Stefan. "He's not our problem anymore if he's gonna act like that."

"He'll start killing people, Elena! I can't just let him do that!"

The small girl shook her head as she wiped the wetness from her face. "This is too much to deal with right now. I-I can't take it. Jenna's gone, my parents are gone, Alaric's gone, Damon is as good as gone…"

Stefan pulled Elena's face closer to his. He stared in her chocolate eyes. "You have me. You'll always have me, Elena."

"I'm sorry, Stefan, I just can't believe that." Elena pulled out of Stefan's grip, then disappeared. Stefan sighed, not wanting to believe what Damon had said…but he knew it was true. He had killed Alaric completely knowingly, he had taken away the only thing in his brother's life that mattered. Stefan forced himself not to cry before he exited the house, following the strong scent of Damon.

\\/

Damon left his house wondering what the hell he was going to do about everything that had gone on that night. He had taken a punch from his brother…that seemed to be the biggest thing on his mind, not the fact that Klaus had three of his coffins back or that Bonnie's mother didn't have any powers to help them open the sealed coffin. No, Damon's mind was set on the fact that his brother had punched him for kissing Elena, even though Stefan knew Damon was with Alaric. It didn't make any sense to him, so Damon had quickly left before he called his brother a moron or any other names he might think of.

His phone rang, and the vampire didn't even have to look to know who it was. "You have reached the only Salvatore brother with a brain, please leave a message after the sound of me ripping out the heart of a certain Original hybrid."

"You sound chipper. I take it things with Klaus didn't go so well?" There was a smile in Alaric's voice, and Damon found himself being calmed a little by it.

"He got three of his coffins back."

"But not the sealed one? Isn't that good?"

Damon sighed as he turned onto the street the Gilbert house was on. "Yep. It's fantastic."

"What else is bothering you?"

"Stefan just punched me, for kissing Elena."

There was a short pause. "What? Why? He knows you're with me."

"Your guess is just as good as mine, stud."

Alaric sighed this time. "Since we're on the subject of kissing…Meredith kissed me."

Damon hung up his phone and sped to climb into Alaric's bedroom window. "_What_?"

The human jumped violently, dropping his phone as he spun around. "Damon!"

"Why did you let her kiss you?"

"I didn't, she kissed me and I yelled at her, then she did it again and Elena walked in." Alaric was gripping his chest as his heart beat out of control, still startled by Damon's sudden entrance. "I told you to stop doing shit like that."

"Ric, calm down. I didn't mean to scare you." Damon had stepped to Alaric, and he removed the human's hand from his chest. He gently ran his fingers over Ric's heart, waiting for it to stop beating so hard. When it did, he smiled. "There."

Alaric forced his stomach to not to a backflip at Damon's touch, and he pushed the vampire's hands off of his chest. "Meredith took your blood so she could help people from dying."

"What?"

"Yeah. I went to tell her off for hurting you and she injected your blood into Bill Forbes to keep him from dying."

Damon looked at Ric strangely. "Bill Forbes? What happened to him?"

"An _actual_ animal attack." Alaric chuckled. "Go figure."

Damon shrugged, and he lay on Alaric's bed. "So I guess Doctor Fell thinks 'fake girlfriend' means 'fake kissing' too." The vampire tried not to look annoyed as he sighed and looked at Alaric, who was shirtless.

"I guess. I seriously went _off_ on her…I have no idea why she kissed me again after what I said to her." When Damon looked excitedly expectant at him, Ric continued. "I told her she was fucking stupid and to leave me alone or I'd tell the Council what she was doing with your blood. Elena didn't know how mad I was, so she went on about how it's okay for me to move on and all kinds of shit."

"I still can't believe she hasn't figured us out yet. Everyone else has."

Alaric stared at Damon for a moment. "Are you serious? She is stuck _way_ too far up your ass to notice her own fucking hand in front of her face."

Damon smirked and sat up. "I'm just _that_ good of an actor."

"Yeah, you're a little too good." Ric didn't think before he said it, and he knew he fucked up. He never wanted Damon to know how he _actually_ felt about the fake thing with Elena. He shook his head. "Forget I said that."

"No, stud, I think it's funny. Who's jealous _now_?" Damon flashed his eyebrows at Ric, who rolled his eyes.

"I'm not jealous, it just bothers me how real you make it look, okay?"

Damon was in front of the human in under a second. He pressed his body into Alaric's. "It's okay if you're jealous, Ric. It shows me you actually care." The vampire's hands ran down Alaric's sides, and that sent cool shivers down the man's spine. He took in a breath and closed his eyes.

"Of course I care, Damon. I'm in love with you."

Damon smiled and pressed his lips to Alaric's neck softly. The warmth under his lips sent him farther into his clouded sexual haze. He wanted to make love to Alaric, he wanted to show the human that _he_ actually cared, too. Damon also wanted to escape his world, if only for just a few minutes. He wanted it to be just he and Alaric…even if it was only for a short while.

"Not when Elena's here, Damon. You know that." Alaric's voice was a whisper, but he didn't pull away from Damon. The vampire didn't stop.

"I don't care." Damon pulled Ric to the bed with him as he trailed kisses up to the human's lips. He pushed Alaric down on the bed and crawled on top of him, returning their lips quickly. Ric's hands slipped up into Damon's shirt. He squeezed the cool skin underneath his fingertips and let a whine escape his lips when Damon pulled their lips away from each other. The vampire looked deeply in the human's eyes. "You're perfect, Alaric."

Damon had successfully let go of everything. Both his mind and body was there with Alaric, and it was just the two of them.

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**A/N: Please tell me what you think of this chapter, there's gonna be a LOT happening soon, so be prepared (: Thank you for reading this far!**


	21. Chapter 21

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Alaric sat at the Mystic Grill bar with Meredith, and his phone was ringing. It was Damon, and Ric _really_ didn't want to answer it, but Meredith made him. He was trying not to be _too_ angry, because he was in public, but if he was around Damon at all he was sure he would punch the vampire again. "Okay so, I die. You don't come see me in the hospital, we don't talk for two days, and I find out this morning that you had _sex_ with Rebekah? Damon, I-"

"Before you go any further, I didn't have sex with Rebekah. I was _going_ to, but I didn't. I thought better of it and I thought of you, and it would be very old Damon of me if I kept hurting you like that. I did, however, make her sleep over so it _looked_ like I had sex with her." Damon knew he had screwed up, again, but he was hoping Alaric would be his normal self and forgive him. After all…he didn't _actually_ do anything wrong this time. "I didn't come see you because it would hurt too much if I did. I've been dealing with Klaus, and I don't want him to come anywhere near you, so I've stayed away from you."

Ric sighed, rubbing his forehead. "Whatever, Damon. Just...meet me at my apartment later, I guess."

"Ric-"

"I have to go. I'll see you later." Alaric hung up before Damon could say anything else, and he turned back to Meredith, who was looking at him sadly. "What?"

"You forgive him way too easily."

Alaric raised his eyebrows at her before taking a sip of the drink in front of him. "I never said I forgive him, I just told him to meet me later. Besides, he didn't actually have sex with Rebekah. He only made it look like he did."

"Oh." Meredith smiled. "But, you know you'll forgive him later."

Alaric sighed as he realized she was right. He could never seem to stay mad at Damon, no matter what he did. "I know I will, but…I love him. I can't _not_ forgive him."

All Meredith did was keep smiling, and they continued with their conversation about Alaric's hospital visit.

Damon was already in Alaric's apartment when he got there. The vampire was sitting on the sofa, drinking some form of alcohol. He didn't move or look at Alaric when the human walked in. "I'm sorry."

Alaric sat next to Damon, a large breath escaping him. "I know." Ric wrapped an arm around Damon's shoulders, pulling the vampire into his chest. He kissed the top of Damon's head. "I know you are."

"You're the one person I never want to hurt…but you're always the one who ends up suffering because of what I do." Damon's voice was barely audible. Avoiding Ric was the worst thing he could have done, but he had done it. Now that he was leaning against the man, he had no idea how he had managed to stay away. He breathed in Alaric's scent, and he was relieved to be around the human again. Two days was entirely too long to go without seeing Ric.

"Stop it." Alaric squeezed Damon's shoulders. "I'm here now. You don't have to feel guilty."

"I always feel guilty for what I do to you."

Alaric sighed and moved so he could look at Damon's eyes, which were filled with remorse. "_Stop_."

"Ric…"

"Damnit, Damon! _I said stop_."

Ric kissed Damon before the vampire could say anything else, and they both forgot everything again. Damon set his drink on the coffee table in front of him and pressed himself into Alaric, twisting his fingers in the human's hair. He straddled Ric, and he couldn't help the small moan that escaped into the other man's mouth when Alaric squeezed his sides. Damon pulled away slowly, but kept his eyes closed and his face dangerously close to Alaric's. "I missed you."

Alaric smiled, because he had missed Damon, too. He had gotten dependent on these moments with the vampire, and he had realized that he didn't care if it made him vulnerable. He was in love with Damon, and nothing else mattered.

Ric kissed Damon again, his grip on the vampire's sides getting harder. He pulled Damon's hips down onto his own, letting go of the man's sides and bringing his hands up to Damon's head. He felt every pore on his body yearn for more of the vampire, more of the one he loved. Alaric pulled Damon's shirt up and off, and Damon did the same for Ric. Damon returned their lips for only a moment before placing butterfly kisses down Alaric's neck, ending on the man's collarbone. He nipped and sucked, but only very lightly. The vampire's skin tingled everywhere as Alaric trailed his hands down Damon's back, and his nerves flashed with pleasure when Ric moaned. Damon felt blood flowing heavily under his eyes, but he forced it back, and he moved from Alaric's neck back up to the human's lips.

Ric's back arched up into Damon as his mouth was invaded by the vampire's tongue. He never stopped kissing him as Damon picked up Alaric, taking the human over to the bed and resting on top of him. After a few more minutes of kissing each other, Damon pulled away again. He looked in Alaric's eyes as the man gasped for air. "I'm going to make love to you, is that okay, Alaric?"

Ric's answer was immediate, without hesitation and with no doubt in his whisper. "Yes."

The word elated Damon, it ignited a deep passion within him that he didn't even know he had. White-hot fire rushed through his body as he kissed down Alaric's front, then back up again, resting on the man's neck. He thrust himself into Ric more, his body craving every inch of the human's skin against his own. The vampire's movements were gentle, light. He didn't want to be rough this time, and he wasn't. He pulled off Alaric's pants slowly, along with his own, and he slipped his index finger into his mouth for only a moment before returning his lips to Alaric's neck. Damon slowly slipped his finger inside Alaric, making sure to be alert for any negative sign in the human's body language. Other than a quick gasp, Ric made no sounds. He focused on Damon's lips on his neck, and not the burning, tight pain he felt. He knew it would only get worse before it got better, and he was prepared for it. The human clenched his teeth when Damon added another finger, and he could feel himself stretching out as the vampire pulled in and out very gently. Alaric pulled Damon's head out of his neck, and kissed him hard. Their tongues clashed as Damon pushed his fingers farther into Alaric, causing the human to grip the thick black hair on Damon's head. Ric relaxed as best he could, which helped the pain. His body loosened around Damon's fingers, which made the vampire smile, and he pushed as deep into Ric as he could go. Alaric threw his head back and moaned in complete bliss as Damon's fingers hit a spot inside him. It sent indescribable pleasure throughout Ric's body, and it made his terribly hard cock throb uncomfortably. Damon slowly pulled his fingers out of Alaric, while kissing the man's neck gently. He moved the two of them to the top of the bed and licked his fingers again, this time slicking them over his own hard member. Damon _very_ slowly pushed himself inside Alaric. He wanted to stop when he heard the human's heartbeat quicken, but he didn't. He lifted his head from Alaric's neck and kissed Ric softly, pulling away after a moment. He scanned the man's face, which was scrunched in pain, and the vampire felt a jab of guilt hit his stomach. "Ric, look at me." When Ric opened his eyes, Damon looked sternly into them. "I won't hurt you."

All Alaric did was nod before kissing Damon again, his hands running down the vampire's sides. When they got to Damon's hips, Ric pulled at them, causing Damon to push deeper into the human. Alaric cried out in pain for a moment before Damon returned his lips to Ric's, pushing even more deep into the man. Alaric relaxed more when Damon was completely inside of him, and the vampire set a slow, meaningful pace.

Being inside Alaric felt like heaven to Damon. It felt like everything was right, like everything in his life didn't matter, because he had Ric, and that was all that he needed. He kissed Alaric slowly, allowing the human to tangle his fingers tightly in Damon's hair. Alaric moaned into Damon's mouth when the vampire hit that sweet spot again. A few more times, and the human had to pull away from Damon's lips to let a very loud scream escape him.

"Damon, I…I…fuck…" Ric stuttered, which made Damon smile. He leaned in to the human's ear.

"I love you, Alaric."

The low tone in Ric's ear sent him over the edge, and he came ridiculously hard, shuddering multiple times and expelling his hot mess onto his stomach. Seeing it made Damon thrust a little faster, and when he did, his own bliss came. He rode out his orgasm inside Alaric, moaning the man's name loudly. When he pulled out of Ric, he lifted the heavy blanket over the two of them, covering their heads, as well. Once inside the dark confines of the blanket, Damon crashed his lips to Alaric's in a deep kiss, pulling the man closer to him. He pulled away after a few moments, but kept his head leaned against Ric's forehead.

Alaric couldn't help the smile that captured his sweat-stricken face. "I love you so damn much, Damon." He barely whispered the words, but it made Damon smile nonetheless.

"You know I love you, even if I don't say it, right?"

"Yes," The human replied. Damon kissed Alaric once more, deeply, before disappearing from under the blanket. Alaric heard the shower start, and he sighed before getting up and stalking into the bathroom. The vampire was already in the shower, so Ric pulled back the curtain to reveal Damon rinsing himself. "What are you doing?"

The playful smile on Damon's lips told Alaric he shouldn't have asked that. "Getting ready for our date. You're taking me to dinner, remember?"

"I do, but I thought you had Original vampire business to deal with?"

"Not until tomorrow, hopefully." Damon pulled Alaric into the shower with him, making sure the hot spray of water hit both of them. "I'm _all_ yours tonight, stud."

Alaric smiled and pushed Damon against the shower wall. He kissed from the vampire's shoulders up to his jaw. "I'll be sure to make the best of it, _lover_." He continued his attack on Damon's neck as he pressed his warm body against the vampire's cool one.

"You better stop, or we'll only get more dirty." Damon smiled.

"Don't care." Ric spoke into Damon's neck, and the vampire had to force himself not to take in a breath at the sensations it sent through his body.

"Ah-ah," He pushed Alaric off of him, hating having to do it. "This dinner thing was _your_ idea, and you're not getting out of it. I hate it for you, stud."

Alaric's bottom lip poked out, and he tried to give Damon sad puppy eyes. "But _Daaamon_!"

"Don't pout at me, Alaric Saltzman! We're gonna be normal, and you're gonna like it." Damon kissed Alaric's cheek and grabbed the first bar of soap he saw. He handed it to Ric, his mischievous smirk returning. "Now, _wash me_."

Laughing, Alaric did as Damon said, knowing it would be a _long_ while before they would ever even get out of the shower.

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**A/N: I really hope you guys like this chapter, I wasn't really sure how you guys were gonna react but I wrote it anyway (: The next chapter will not have anything from the past in it at all, so I'm sorry if you were looking forward to Ric&Damon's date :p I'll try to update soon! Please review to tell me what you think of this chapter, and give me any feedback/criticism you deem necessary! **


	22. Chapter 22

Screams. Cries of terror. Pleas for life.

Damon heard all of these as he broke up a small party in a town close to Mystic Falls. The house he had chosen was deep in a set of woods; no neighbors, no nearby roads. Just Damon and his house full of victims.

His first was a teenage girl, no older than fourteen. As he neared her, she screamed loudly, which made Damon smile widely. His fangs glimmered in the bright light of the fireplace next to him. He sped to her and ripped through her neck with his teeth, holding her fragile body so she couldn't get away. Her shouts dissipated as he drained her, the sweet, warm liquid filling his mouth. Damon dropped the girl's limp, lifeless body on the floor, and heard another girl's scream. He looked up to see an older girl, probably seventeen. The look on her face was horrified, filled with fear. Damon relished in the sight just before she tried to run away. He blocked her exit and made her look in his blood filled eyes.

"You're not going anywhere," Damon's voice was soft and soothing as he compelled the girl. "You can't leave the house, and you're going to make sure no one else does, either."

"I can't leave, and no one else can either." Her voice mimicked the vampire's tone as blood dripped from Damon's mouth onto her chest. He smiled again.

"Good girl." He left the blonde girl to her business as he sped to the large kitchen, blocking three jock-looking guys from escaping out of the back door. He bared his fangs at them. "Now, where do you boys think you're going?" One of them punched Damon in the jaw as hard as he could, but it barely even affected the vampire. He simply brought a hand up to his chin, looking incredulously at the boy who was a good five inches taller than him. "You shouldn't have done that." Damon threw the boy across the house. He went through a wall and was dead when he fell to the floor. It earned gasps from the other two. The sound sparked his hunger again, and he brought one of them to him and sank his fangs into the boy's throat. When he was drained, Damon pushed the body into the remaining boy, who's eyes were now filled with complete terror instead of foolish bravery. Damon bored into them with his own dark globes. "Take care of him, would ya? Pile him on top of the other ones, and when you're done, help blondie keep everyone else inside. No one can leave." The vampire disappeared up the stairs, knowing the three who were left had ran up there. He loved that they were trying to hide…it made it even more fun when he found them and killed them.

There were three rooms upstairs, along with a bathroom. Damon entered the first and found a girl and a guy on the floor, trying to crawl under the bed. Damon pulled the boy up and held him by the throat tightly, but not tight enough to choke him. The girl started crying. "Please don't hurt him!"

Damon smiled, almost innocently. Almost. "Aww, why not, dear? He looks _so_ tasty." He ran his teeth over the boy's neck, drawing a small bit of blood and licking it up quickly. He slowly pressed his fangs into the skin on the boy's neck. The screams from the girl only made Damon want more. He wanted to hear her scream in fear more. The sound made every nerve in his body flash with excitement, and when the boy was dead, he threw the body out of the room, making sure it rolled down the stairs to his two compelled minions. The girl stared at him, not breathing, not moving, and not making a sound. Tears fell from her eyes.

"Why are you doing this?" Her voice was a whisper.

Damon's expression changed. He was no longer relishing in the fear the girl was feeling. All the pain, grief, and anguish came rushing back into Damon's body, and he saw Alaric in the girl's bright green eyes. He pulled her to him, gripping her arms tight and looking at her with more sadness than he wanted to show. "Because I have nothing left to live for." The vampire then bit her neck and drained her as fast as he could. Her blood poured down his front, but he didn't care. He watched as the life left her eyes, trying not to think of Alaric dying in his arms.

When Damon carried her body down the stairs, he found an entirely too familiar face looking into the blonde's eyes. "What are you doing here, Stefan?" Damon dropped the girl's body on the pile of dead teenagers and pulled his brother away from the girl, breaking his compulsion. She wandered away upstairs, probably to make sure the remaining person didn't find a way out.

Stefan shoved Damon away from him. "What are _you_ doing, Damon? Why are you killing these people?"

"Why does it matter? Just leave me alone." Damon sped back up the stairs and sniffed out the last person who wasn't compelled, their fear sticking out like a sore thumb. He didn't bother easing this one into it, he simply pushed blondie aside and bit into the young boy. When he had his fill of blood, the boy wasn't dead, so Damon snapped his neck and turned back to the blonde. He compelled her. "Take him downstairs with the others. Do not talk to my brother, do not let him compel you." She did as he said and Damon found the boy he had compelled, biting into his throat immediately and ripping out anything and everything in the boy's neck. He dropped to the floor, bleeding out, and Damon just stepped over him and back down the stairs to be greeted by Stefan glaring at him. "What's the matter, brother?"

"Have you seen yourself, Damon?" Stefan stalked to his brother, turning his brother around to the mirror above the fireplace. "_This isn't you_, brother…not anymore."

Damon stared at his reflection. His ice blue eyes were almost gone, darkened with blood. His fangs were covered in crimson, and so was his entire face, neck, and chest. He looked away, back at his brother, as his face returned to normal. "This _is_ me, Stefan, and there's nothing you can do about it." Damon began to walk to the blonde girl, but Stefan pulled him back and looked in Damon's eyes.

"Alaric wouldn't want you to do this."

"Well, _brother_, Alaric isn't here, in case you haven't noticed and how _dare_ you even talk to me about him, you're the reason he's dead." Damon grabbed the blonde, who was behind Stefan, and he snapped her neck, letting her fall onto the pile of bodies. "Ric is gone and I'm never going to see him again, so I suggest you leave me the fuck alone before I kill you, too." He glared at his brother for a moment before moving to walk around him. He didn't get far, because there was a vervain dart in his neck the second he stepped past Stefan. There was another, and another, until Damon dropped to the ground.

Stefan sighed, and looked up at Jeremy, who was dropping the dart gun he had in his hand. "Thank you, Jeremy."

The boy smiled and helped Stefan pick up his brother. They carried the vampire out to Matt Donovan's borrowed truck. "It's no problem, Stefan. Ric wouldn't want him doing this." They lifted Damon into the back of the truck, and Jeremy covered him with a tarp while Stefan started the truck, and soon they were driving back to Mystic Falls.

They were silent for a few moments, until Stefan sighed. "I don't know what happened with them, but I really wish Alaric would show up soon. He's the only way we'll get Damon back to normal."

"I haven't seen him since Damon came to apologize for attacking me. I don't know what's happened, either, but if Damon's acting like this, it has to be bad." Jeremy relaxed in his seat a little bit, not looking at Stefan.

"I know, that's what I'm afraid of." The vampire sighed again, but neither of them said nothing more as they rode back to their small town.

**A/N: I didn't want to make Damon do this, but he kind of _had_ to. After all, he IS the bad boy Salvatore :p Please review!**


	23. Chapter 23

**A/N: I suggest listening to the "S&M" remix with Britney Spears, by Rihanna, while you read this. When you feel the time is right. Yeah. YOU'LL SEE. Please review when you're done reading. :D**

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It was closer to evening time when Alaric and Damon arrived at a restaurant a few towns over, to make sure no one they knew would see them. The hostess led them to a booth, and Alaric went to sit across from Damon, but the vampire pulled him down in the seat next to him. "You're sitting with _me_, stud."

Alaric laughed. "I'm completely okay with that." They shared a small kiss, and Ric was going to say something about Damon looking nice, but he was cut off by the waitress walking up to the table and placing menus in front of them.

"Can I get you two something to drink?"

Damon smirked at Alaric for a moment before looking up at the waitress and locking eyes with her. "We'll take two Jack Daniels on the rocks, and all of our drinks will be on the house tonight, right?"

"Right," The woman repeated the word almost verbatim, and she walked away to get them their drinks. Ric shoved his elbow in Damon's ribs, pretty hard.

"You're not supposed to compel us a free meal, Damon."

"I didn't compel us a free meal, I compelled us free drinks. It'd be too suspicious if the gay couple who had never been in here before just randomly got their meal for free." Damon smiled playfully at Alaric, catching the human's lips in another short kiss. "I'm actually liking this date thing, we should do it more often."

Alaric shook his head incredulously, smiling a bit. "We haven't even been sitting down for a full five minutes yet, Damon."

"I know, but it's still nice to be able to kiss you in public. I _do_ like showing off the things I have, and I haven't been able to show you off at all." The vampire pressed his lips to Alaric's neck, kissing gently. Ric wanted to moan at the pleasure, but he pulled away from Damon and calmed himself.

"Maybe I should go sit over there, seeing as you obviously can't control yourself." He cocked an eyebrow at the vampire and moved to get up, but was, again, pulled back down.

"I'll be good. Promise." Damon placed a kiss on Ric's cheek before throwing an arm around the human loosely. "You're the one who decided to dress like that, though."

Alaric looked at Damon in confusion. "Dress like what?"

"Sexy." Damon spoke in Ric's ear as the waitress came back with their drinks.

"And what will you boys be having tonight?" The girl was entirely too cheery.

"We need a little bit longer, thanks." Alaric smiled at her, and she walked away again. He turned back to Damon, who's chiseled face held a smirk. "We need to stop getting distracted and order our food."

The vampire did his classic sexy eye thing before picking up a menu and looking it over quickly. He closed it barely a few seconds later, sighing sarcastically. "Well, they don't have what I want."

"And what is that?"

"You." Damon smiled and moved a little closer to Ric, but resisted the urge to kiss the human deeply. Alaric smiled, but didn't say anything as he scanned his own menu. He was absolutely starving, seeing as he hadn't had the chance to eat anything yet that day. He and Damon had been too busy for Ric to snack on anything, he had gotten into the habit of making breakfast for Elena but not for himself, and Klaus had interrupted his brunch with Meredith.

"Klaus," Ric whispered, and he looked up at Damon, who had a very confused look on his face as he sipped his whiskey.

"Klaus? Klaus is on your menu?"

"No, uhm…Klaus was at the Grill earlier with his, brother? Anyway, he prevented me from eating with Meredith and that's why I'm so hungry." Ric looked back at his menu, but was only able to for a split second before it was taken out of his hands by the vampire next to him. He sighed. "I was looking at that."

"How long were you gonna keep that from me? Klaus was within a hundred feet of you today and you're worried about _dinner_?" Damon kept a disgusted look on his face. "Did he talk to you?"

Alaric glanced at Damon, not wanting to talk about Klaus, but he knew the vampire wouldn't stop until he did. "He was his passive-aggressive self with his little charming accent. He threatened to tell everyone about my 'little vampire boyfriend' if we didn't leave him and his family alone."

Damon's jaw dropped, and he propped his head up on his hand, staring at Alaric. "You think Klaus's accent is _charming_?"

"Is that really all you took from what I said?"

"Are you _really_ avoiding the question?"

Ric let out a frustrated breath. "Yes, Damon, it _is_ a little bit charming. But, you seriously can't think you're gonna lose me to the mass murdering hybrid Original vampire who took over my body, sacrificed my girlfriend, and is now trying to kill anyone and everyone I care about." Damon averted his eyes, and sat up again, but couldn't say anything because of the waitress who came trotting up to the table again.

"Are we ready to order now?"

The vampire smiled widely at the woman, and the two ordered their food. When the waitress walked away, both Alaric and Damon were silent for a few moments. They sipped at their whiskey, Alaric finishing his glass before Damon. "You're not gonna say anything now?"

"What do you want me to say, Ric? You're right. I know I'm not gonna lose you, to anyone, especially not Klaus…but you can't expect me to _not_ be upset when you say he's charming. _I'm_ supposed to be the only charming vampire in your life." Damon fake-pouted and crossed his arms, which Alaric found completely adorable, and he laughed.

"You are, Damon. Don't worry." The human kissed Damon's forehead, and the vampire smiled to himself.

The night went on like that for a while, just the two of them talking and laughing together. When their food came, Alaric ate quickly and Damon only picked. He was glad to watch his precious human eat, knowing Ric would feel better when he did. They were sitting at their table, drinking their fourth glasses of whiskey, when Damon spotted a dance floor on the other side of the restaurant, next to the bar. A smirk captured the vampire's lips and he downed the rest of his drink, getting up, and pulling Alaric with him. Music boomed all around them, and Ric had to jerk Damon back so he could speak loudly in the vampire's ear.

"What the hell are you doing?"

"You wanna dance?" Damon retorted, smirk never leaving his face. He gestured to the dance floor, which was almost full of people dancing completely inappropriately with each other.

Alaric glanced at the people, then back at Damon, disbelief all over his face. "You're kidding, right?"

Damon stepped to Ric, pressing his body against the human's. "Not at all, stud."

"I don't dance, Damon." The history teacher remembered vividly the last time he had danced with anyone. It was at his wedding with Isobel, and he was terrible then. That was a long time ago, and Alaric knew he wouldn't be any good at it, especially with the way everyone else was dancing. He would make a complete fool of himself.

As Ric shook his head, Damon pouted again, this time batting his eyes innocently. "_Please_, Ric?"

"No! I told you I don't dance!"

Damon rolled his eyes, all innocence leaving his face. "You said you wanted to be a normal couple. Well, _normal_ couples go out to dinner, and go dancing. This would be combining the two, thus increasing the amount of normal we are."

Realizing Damon was right, Alaric sighed. "Fine." Before he even finished the word, Ric was pulled onto the slick dance floor and pressed against Damon's front. The vampire rolled his hips in time with the music, while his body was dangerously close to Alaric's, and he pulled the human's head to his. Their lips didn't touch, but Damon could feel Alaric's staggered breath against his face. The man's heartbeat had quickened.

Ric was already getting aroused as Damon ground his hips up against his own. The friction left so much more to be desired, especially when the vampire twisted his fingers in Alaric's hair, pulling tight. Ric's hands stayed on Damon's hips. The human didn't dare touch anywhere else, because he _wanted_ to rip off Damon's expensive clothes and turn the vampire over, right there in front of everyone…but he knew that would be highly inappropriate. Then again, most of the couples who were dancing were basically having sex with their clothes on, which amused and disgusted Ric at the same time.

Alaric was abruptly pulled out of his thoughts as Damon buried his face in the human's neck, kisses extremely wet and bites terribly too light for Alaric's liking. Ric's head was thrown back as Damon sucked heavily on the sensitive skin, leaving a deep purple bruise when he pulled away. The vampire smiled, and he ground his hips against Alaric's increasing arousal, causing the human to growl lustfully. Alaric pulled Damon's body as close to his as it would go. His breath hitched with each roll of the vampire's hips, and mixed with the thumping vibrations of the music around them, Alaric _not_ being completely turned on was hopeless. He was past the point of no return, so he gave in and began trying to move his body with Damon's. The human actually found himself enjoying it. He was sure if he was looking from the outside at he and Damon, it would be one of the most erotic things he'd ever seen, and they were fully clothed, jackets and all. Ric looked into Damon's hungry blue eyes, glad to see a lustful smirk on the vampire's face as well.

"I told you it'd be fun." Damon spoke in Alaric's ear, sending shocking waves of more pleasure through the human's body. He smiled and was going to say something, but he was cut off by Damon turning around and pressing his backside into Alaric's groin, earning a small sound from the human. The vampire's arm wrapped around Ric's head, holding it to his neck and loving the hot breath on his skin. Alaric's lips lightly brushed up Damon's neck and jaw, to capture his lips in a heated kiss. Damon's fingers entwined in Alaric's hair, and they didn't pull away from each other until the music stopped around them.

Alaric looked over Damon's face thoroughly before speaking in a low, almost whispered voice. "Let's get out of here." The two didn't pay any mind to the excited girls who were staring at them, they simply exited the restaurant, Damon throwing a fifty dollar bill on their table as they left.

The half hour drive back to Mystic Falls was complete torture for both of them, and it definitely didn't help that Alaric was basically giving Damon a hand job through his pants as the vampire drove entirely too fast down the highway. When they arrived at the boarding house, they kissed all the way inside, and Damon pushed Alaric against the back of the door to close it. He tore off the human's jacket, pressing his lips to Alaric's neck and finally letting his fangs appear and his eyes fill with blood. He ran his fangs over the human's skin, loving the reaction the body under him had. Ric arched his back up into Damon and let out a moan.

"_Fuck_, Damon, stop teasing and bite me."

"Easy, stud," Damon purred, just before switching the two quickly. The vampire was now against the door, holding Alaric in front of him. Damon ran his hand up Alaric's back, staring at the back of the human's neck. "You are entirely too sexy when you get worked up." The vampire pulled the collar back on Alaric's shirt, sliding his tongue up the top of the man's back. He smiled when he felt Ric shudder, and he pulled the human's head to the side, biting into the smooth flesh. A deep moan escaped Alaric's mouth and Damon snaked his hand around to the front of Ric, gripping the man's throbbing erection through his pants.

Alaric took in a breath as his eyes shot open. He was pleasantly greeted by the sight of Elijah, hands in his pockets and a sly smile gracefully planted on the Original's lips. Ric tried to pull away from Damon, but the vampire was busy drinking his blood. "Damon…_Damon_!"

Reluctantly, Damon pulled his fangs out of Alaric's neck, blood dripping down his chin. His eyes widened when he saw Elijah, and he pushed Alaric behind him, bearing his fangs. "Elijah."

"This is just too spectacular for words." His smooth voice was laced with hidden glee. He looked at Alaric. "You're the history teacher, am I correct?"

Damon glared at Elijah, but spoke to Alaric. "Leave, Ric."

"Damon-" Ric started, but Damon raised his voice.

"Take my car, and _leave_."

Alaric sighed. "I'm not leaving, Damon."

The vampire spun around and pinned Alaric to the door, locking eyes with him. "_Leave, Alaric_." Damon didn't want to compel Ric, but he would have rather had the human mad at him than have Ric dead.

Alaric gave Damon an icy stare. "You don't have to compel me."

"Apparently I fucking _do_, Ric, or else you'd be gone by now!"

"So much for a normal relationship." Ric grabbed his jacket off the floor, slamming the door when he walked out.

Damon sighed, his face returning to normal as he turned back to Elijah. "What are you doing here?"

"Well, I was going to tell you that your doppelganger is in the hands of my sister, but it looks like I may have taken the wrong hostage. I could have gotten much more out of you if I'd have paid more mind to _him_."

"_What_?"

Alaric's head was too clouded with anger to see Stefan in front of him, and he ran into the vampire as he was walking to Damon's car. "Shit…I'm sorry, Stefan."

"Wow, you look nice." Stefan smiled, but it faded when he noticed Alaric's neck. He moved the man's collar so he could see it better. "Damon bit you?"

"Yeah, uhm, I gotta get back home…Elena's probably wondering where I am by now." Ric went to walk past him, but Stefan put a hand on the human's chest.

"I can't find Elena…are you and Damon okay? Because, if he's hurting you-"

Alaric rolled his eyes, cutting Stefan off. "He's not. I like being bitten, alright? I just…I have to go. Damon is inside. I'll see you." Ric pushed past Stefan, getting into Damon's car. He had known the keys were in the ignition, and he sped off.

Stefan sighed, ready to give his brother a much needed "boyfriend" talk. "I can't find Elena anywhere, and what did you do to Alaric?"

"Stefan! So nice that you could join us." Elijah had sat in one of the living room's chairs. Damon was staring at him.

"He has Elena."

\\/


	24. Chapter 24

Damon drifted into consciousness slowly. His head felt heavy, and he opened his eyes to find himself chained and roped to a chair in his own basement. The ropes around his wrists and chest were soaked in vervain. He sighed. "Stefaaan!" He waited for a response, but got none. He struggled to get out of the chair. "It's not nice to tie your brother to a chair, Stefan." A few seconds after he spoke, he heard two sets of footsteps getting closer to the metal door. It opened to reveal Bonnie and Jeremy.

"Stefan isn't here." The witch held a grimoire in her arms, and her expression was hard.

Damon looked at both of them incredulously. "And he left _you_ two to torture me? Oh, brother, you are a piece of work." The smirk on his face was removed when Bonnie did her vampire-brain-aneurysm, which made Damon shout in pain.

"I wouldn't test Bonnie right now, she's _really_ pissed off at you." Jeremy smiled smugly. "I am too."

"Well just cry me a _fucking_ river. You act like I give a shit about either of you being mad at me." The vampire's voice was covered in venom. He glared at Jeremy as hunger flared in his throat. Damon needed blood, soon, or he'd start craving it more and more until he turned into an animal.

Bonnie smiled, and it was maniacal. "Keep it up. I've got all the time in the world to stay here and make the rest of your life Hell."

"You can _go_ to Hell, witch." Damon spat at Bonnie, and seconds later, his head was filled with terrible pain. He screamed.

She stopped, handing her grimoire to Jeremy, and walking to Damon. She leaned down to his face as he panted for breath. "Don't test me. I have a grimoire full of torture spells and I'm just _dying_ to use every last one of them, so I suggest you do what we say." Damon did nothing but glare at the witch. She smiled again, this time sweetly, and trotted back to Jeremy. "Now, I'll be here in the corner observing. Go ahead, Jeremy."

Laughing, Jeremy handed the grimoire back to Bonnie, then turned his attention to Damon. "So, Damon, how are you doing?"

"I'm fucking peachy, Jeremy. I'm having the time of my goddamn life." The vampire struggled to get out of his trap. "Let me out of here."

"Why? You getting hungry?"

"What do you _think_?"

Jeremy smiled slyly. He pulled a knife from his pocket and quickly cut the palm of his hand. Deep crimson liquid flowed out of the wound, and Jeremy held his hand out to Damon. "Have some."

Damon could smell the warm blood on Jeremy's hand. He couldn't help it when his face turned as he stared at the beautiful red dropping onto the ground. "Give it to me."

"Tell me why you just killed seven innocent people."

"Why." Damon growled, still staring at the blood in Jeremy's hand. It was _just_ out of the vampire's reach.

"You don't get to ask questions." Jeremy took a step closer to the vampire, leaning down and moving his hand behind his back. "Why did you kill those people?"

"I was hungry." Damon smirked.

"You didn't even feed from all of them." Jeremy stepped back again, and Damon felt a ridiculous amount of rage build up inside him.

"WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU TRYING TO DO, JEREMY?! I'M FUCKING STARVING, GIVE ME YOUR FUCKING BLOOD!" The vampire writhed under his restraints before letting out a frustrated shout.

The human boy only smiled, pulling his hand out from behind his back. "Tell me."

"FUCK YOU!"

"_Tell me, Damon_." Jeremy glared as he watched Damon continue to struggle. When he realized he wasn't going to get out, the vampire snarled, returning Jeremy's glare.

"He's gone."

Jeremy's expression visibly softened. "What?"

"He moved on. I made him move on."

"But…he can't…" The boy's eyes filled with shock. He stared at Damon.

"He had to." Damon's eyes were still filled with blood and his fangs were still out as he leaned his head forward, trying to at least smell the blood on Jeremy's hand. "I couldn't keep him here, Jeremy. He's dead, he needed to move on."

"You know, opposed to what you might think, the world does _not_ revolve around you and you had _no right_ to send Alaric away." Tears were streaming down the boy's face.

"Opposed to what _you_ might think, Jeremy, Alaric's world _did_ revolve around me and if that's hard for you to hear, then I'm sorry but I _don't care_. We were there for each other through more than you can even imagine, and whether you want to believe it or not, Ric had given up on his life until he started being with _me_." Damon paused, and glared at Jeremy. "He loved me, and that was all he cared about. Not you, not Elena. _Me_, the person you have chained to a chair right now."

Jeremy punched Damon in the side of the head, as hard as he could. "The _monster_ I have chained to a chair right now. How Alaric _ever_ loved you, I'll never fucking know. You probably compelled him."

"Don't be stupid, Jeremy! If I had compelled him, he would have stopped caring about me when he died. Just let me go."

"Why should I let you go? So you can just go out again and kill more people?" The boy threw his hand close to Damon's face, squeezing more blood out of the wound on his palm. It dripped onto Damon's chest. "Admit that you never deserved Alaric, admit that you were just using him from the start."

"Jeremy…" Bonnie's soft voice came from the corner of the room, but Jeremy ignored her. He moved his hand above the vampire's head.

"You're a monster. Admit it."

Damon snarled. "I will fucking kill you, Jeremy."

"Of course you will, _you're a monster_." Jeremy smeared his blood on the side of Damon's face, pulling his hand away quickly when Damon tried to bite him. "I hope you rot in Hell." The boy walked out of the room, leaving Damon panting. The vampire looked up at Bonnie, who was staring at him in shock.

"Is that what you signed up for, witch?"

\\/

"Clock's ticking." Damon snapped at Stefan as he watched his brother stare at a blood bag. "Are you gonna help me brainstorm a plan, or are you too busy fixing a snack?"

"How about we talk about how you made a snack out of Alaric, hm?" Stefan had a smug look on his face.

Damon snorted. "He likes it."

"You know, I don't think he does." Stefan took a step towards his brother, dropping the blood bag back into the fridge. "_I_ think you've compelled Alaric, just like you compelled Andi. Your relationship with him isn't real, and you're just using him for sex and blood."

Damon nodded, his demeanor arrogant. He was almost nose to nose with Stefan. "Is that right?" The younger brother only smiled, and Damon continued, but with less sarcasm. "You wanna know where Ric and I just got back from?"

"Enlighten me, brother." The smugness never left Stefan's face.

"A _date_. We went out to dinner, like a normal couple. We danced together, like a normal couple. We came home to have sex, like a _normal couple_. Do you really think I'd put myself through all that stupid shit if I didn't love him? I _enjoy_ spending time with him. He makes me _feel_ something, Stefan, and I haven't had that since I was human."

Stefan stared in Damon's eyes, not wanting to believe anything his brother was saying, but knowing it was true from the look in the ice blue eyes. The younger brother sighed, and stepped away from Damon. "We need to call Bonnie. There's got to be a way to stop Ester from channeling all that power."

Damon looked at Stefan strangely, but didn't push the subject of Alaric any further. He hadn't wanted to tell his brother any of that to begin with, but he did just to shut him up. The two went back and forth about the Original Witch and her children, trying to find an easy way out of the situation. Damon suggested killing one of the Bennett witches to cut Ester off of their bloodline power, but that raised the question of "which one."

"There's gotta be another way." Stefan had started pacing.

Damon smirked, and pulled the dagger he had out of his back pocket. "Well…what if I told you I had a _less_ diabolical plan?"

Stefan stared at the dagger. "You want to dagger Elijah."

"They're all linked. One goes down, they all go down, witches live, Elena's safe. Problem solved."

"We don't know if that'll effect Klaus."

Damon gave his brother a _look_. "Ironically, Klaus isn't our current problem."

"The dagger is lethal to any vampire who uses it." Stefan had no idea how Damon planned for this situation to work out.

The older brother smiled. "Well, I just so happen to know a human crazy enough to give it a shot."

Stefan shook his head. "Alaric." He started pacing again. "You just give me some lame speech about how you love him, but you're willing to put him in a situation where he can get killed?"

"We don't have another option, Stefan." Damon's voice was hard, and he took his brother by the shoulders. "Either I put my boyfriend in danger, or you lose Elena. Seeing as Ric is a vampire hunter, he's our best shot."

"I don't know if you noticed, Damon, but Alaric was pretty pissed for whatever you did earlier. He's not gonna do anything for us."

Damon smiled, and took his phone out of his pocket. "I have my ways, brother, don't you worry. Just run and get Caroline to strut into the Grill, and give Ric the dagger." He dialed Alaric's number as Stefan disappeared with the dagger. The human picked up after the first ring.

"What do you want, Damon? I'm busy."

Damon heard music and noise in the background, Ric was at the Grill. "Ah, perfect. Are Klaus and Kol still at the bar?"

Ric sighed. "Yeah, Meredith said they've been here all day, drinking their way through half the Grill's liquor supply."

"Good, this'll be easier if they're wasted." Damon smirked. "Listen, Elijah has Elena, and we have until six minutes after nine to figure out a way to stop the Original _bitch_ from killing her kids, or Rebekah will have her way with Elena…and I don't mean in a hot lesbian way." Damon heard Alaric chuckle at what he said.

"Alright, so what's the plan?"

"Divide and conquer, but first we'll need a little blonde distraction."

"Caroline's at the bar now, I gave Doctor Fell the dagger." Stefan appeared in the basement again, catching his breath.

"I've got it, I'll call you when we dagger Kol." Alaric hung up, and Damon turned to his brother.

"Told you he'd do it."

"Let's just get down there." Stefan walked out of the basement, closely followed by his brother. They took Stefan's car, since Alaric had Damon's, and they drove to the Grill, parking in the back. Alaric called Damon just as Stefan turned off the car.

"We'll be in the alley."

Damon didn't respond. He and Stefan sped to the alley beside the Grill, watching as Alaric dragged Kol's desiccated body onto the concrete. Damon smiled. "Sexy doctor did work."

Before Alaric could respond, Klaus appeared and pulled the dagger out of his brother and pushed Alaric out of the way. The human slammed against the wall and fell unconscious, and Damon didn't even think before he was kneeling beside Ric, holding him. Stefan went at Klaus, but the hybrid shoved him out of the way. Klaus stepped to where Damon was. "I should have killed you months ago."

"Do it. It's not gonna stop Ester from killing you." Damon had to force back tears from his eyes as he held Alaric in his arms and glared at the hybrid standing over him.

"What did you say about my mother, _fag_?"

Damon stood up. His entire body was filled with fury, but he kept his exterior calm. "You didn't know I was friends with your mommy? We have a lot in common, she hates you just as much as I do."

Klaus lunged at Damon, but he was stopped by a voice at the top of the stairs to the alley. "Leave him." The hybrid turned around to see Elijah. "We still need him, Niklaus."

"What did mother do?" Klaus stepped away from Damon, and his voice became more dark when Elijah didn't respond. "What did mother do, Elijah?"

Elijah descended the stairs, looking extremely angry. "Tell me where the witches are or I'll tell my sister to kill Elena right now, or maybe Niklaus will snap your little human's neck over there. Your choice, Mister Salvatore."

When Damon glanced back over to Alaric, Klaus was holding his body up, hands ready on Ric's head. His ring was on the ground. Damon felt like his heart dropped into his stomach, and he swallowed hard. "Don't hurt him."

"Oh, believe me, Damon, _I will_." The hybrid moved Alaric's collar back to reveal Damon's fang wounds from earlier, but with no blood around them. Klaus smiled. "Looks like you've been busy with this one."

"Leave him alone." Damon's voice was quiet, and almost shaky. "_Please_."

Elijah laughed a little. "He _has_ been busy, brother. I caught the him in the act."

Klaus's fangs extended, and his eyes began glowing a golden brown. He leaned in to Alaric's neck, taking in a large breath. "He smells _delicious_." He opened his mouth to bite into Ric's neck, and Damon was frozen in place.

"Stop," Stefan's voice came from behind Elijah, and Klaus's face returned to normal. Stefan stood up and glared at the Original. "You said we had until after nine."

Elijah smiled and turned to face Stefan. "I'm sure Niklaus and Rebekah would be _more_ than happy to start their work early."

Stefan hesitated, then sighed. "Do what you want with Elena, but leave Alaric here. I'll call you when we find Bonnie." Without another word, the two Originals disappeared, and Alaric's body fell to the ground. When Damon sped to him, the human started to stir. Damon looked up at his brother.

"Meredith…get Meredith." Stefan disappeared inside the bar, and Damon leaned against the concrete wall behind him, bringing Alaric to his chest. The human wasn't completely awake yet. "I love you, Alaric."

"I have to be thrown into a wall by an Original hybrid to get that out of you?" Ric's voice was hoarse, and he tried to sit up, but Damon wouldn't let him.

"Stop, Ric. You'll hurt yourself."

"I'm fine, Damon." Alaric sat up more, but still stayed leaned against Damon. The vampire wrapped his arm around him. "Well, my head is pretty much splitting open, so I guess I'm not fine."

"Shhh." Damon kissed Alaric's head just as Stefan came back with Doctor Fell. The vampire stood up, helping Alaric with him. He looked at Doctor Fell. "Take him with you, make him better."

Meredith looked at Damon strangely. She had her hands on Alaric's shoulders. "I need to take him to the hospital, he-"

"Just take me home, I'll be fine." Alaric cut Meredith off, his hand shooting to his head, which was obviously causing him pain. Damon turned the human to face him.

"Damnit, Ric, just _go with her_, and don't make me fucking worry about you." The vampire leaned down and picked up Alaric's ring, handing it back to him. He looked at Doctor Fell. "Don't take him to the hospital, they'll get suspicious. Just…go to your place or something, I don't know. _Please_, just take care of him."

"I will." Meredith smiled sadly at the vampire.

"We need to go, Damon. We're running out of time." Stefan spoke sternly, and Damon sighed.

He took Alaric's face in his hands and kissed the human deeply. When he pulled away, his voice shook. "Don't make me worry, Alaric."

Stefan and Damon then disappeared.

\\/

**A/N: So I am 400% done with the canon storyline on the show after the season 4 premiere last night, I don't even think any of you know. First they killed Alaric, now they're not making it up to us by giving us Delena or even Klaroline? I JUST CAN'T HANDLE THIS SHOW, GUYS. And omg when Damon said "...because I _AM_ that selfish, Elena." Just...MY DELENA FEELS WERE EVERYWHERE, OKAY? Not to mention they were just _throwing_ Alaric's name out there like they didn't even care that he was dead, like it _wasn't_ his alter-ego that did all the bad shit. I'm just so done. Also pertaining to the season premiere, the season 4 storyline will NOT affect my story in ANY way. I've already been writing this for like a month now, so yeah. Not changing anything, too lazy. SORRY FOR THIS LONG AUTHOR'S NOTE, PLEASE REVIEW, I LOVE YOU ALL.**


	25. Chapter 25

"I cant believe you really think I'm gonna have a boy chat with you. I'm not your little gay buddy who spills all his feelings out to you." Damon hissed at Bonnie, who was sitting on the ground in front of him, flipping through her grimoire. She had been badgering him to tell her how he felt about Alaric, when he was alive and after he died, but Damon wasn't going to.

Bonnie smiled at him. "Well, since you're not going to talk willingly, I'll just start reading off spells." She looked back at her grimoire. "Oooh, this one makes it feel like your limbs are rotting off." Flipping a few pages forward, Bonnie smiled when she saw one particular spell. "And this one…" She looked back up at Damon, who had a cold sweat on his face. She stood up, leaning down to look directly in his eyes. "This one deprives your body of blood, making you the most hungry you've ever been in your life."

"Bring it on, witch." The vampire smiled evilly, which made Bonnie sit back on the ground, grimoire open and in her lap. She began reading the spell, and as soon as she finished the first line, Damon's body began feeling dry. Terrible thirst burned in his throat. He let out a large shout when his entire body flashed in sharp pain, then it all suddenly stopped. He opened his eyes to see Bonnie held up by his brother.

Stefan was glaring at her. "I told you and Jeremy to keep an eye on him, and leave the torturing to _me_. What the hell is wrong with you?"

"You were gonna be soft on him! Jeremy and I weakened him up, so you'll have an easier time breaking him." Bonnie pulled herself out of Stefan's grip. She grabbed her grimoire off the floor and turned to walk out. "You're welcome." She slammed the metal door behind her, and Stefan sighed.

Damon stared at him, grinning. "Hello, brother."

"I would say I'm sorry for what Jeremy and Bonnie did to you, but, sadly…I'm not." Stefan stood a few feet from his brother, arms crossed, and a smirk across his face.

"What do you want, Stefan? I'm getting really tired of your little rehab sessions."

Stefan chuckled. "Oh, Damon. You're not getting out of this one any time soon."

Damon sighed, and rolled his eyes. He looked at his brother, face full of doubt. "_Really_? Well, then. I guess I'll just sit here and rot."

"No, you're going to tell me why you made Alaric move on." Stefan pulled something out of his back pocket…it was a blood bag. He dangled it in front of Damon's face. "When you do, I'll give you a little bit of this."

The older brother's face turned as soon as he saw the blood. "I can't really trust you, little brother. You know…seeing as I've never vervained you, chained you to a chair, and deprived you of blood. I think you should give me the blood first, and _then_ I'll talk." Damon smiled, but Stefan shook his head, returning the blood bag to his back pocket.

"It doesn't work like that, brother." Stefan stepped to Damon, placing his hands on either side of his brother's head, and leaning down to glare into ice blue eyes. "You're going to get out of this killing phase, and I am going to break you."

The words hit Damon's ears like a stake to the heart. He felt tears in his eyes, but he forced them back, and he glared at his brother as his face returned to normal. "Don't ever say those words to me again."

Stefan cocked his head, looking at Damon strangely. "What words?"

"You're going to break me. Don't _ever_ say it again."

"Why?"

Damon had to keep himself from grinding his teeth together. If he wasn't chained and roped to that chair, he would've had his brother by the throat by now. "Because I said."

Stefan laughed and stood back up. "Come on, Damon. We're not children." He brought out the blood bag again. "Why don't you want me to say it? I'm gonna break you, Damon."

"Stop."

"_I am going to break you_."

"Stefan…"

"Tell. Me."

"ALARIC SAID IT TO ME BEFORE HE DIED, OKAY? JUST AFTER HE TOLD ME HOW HE NEVER LOVED ME." Damon screamed at Stefan, the younger brother's jaw dropping as he stared at the writhing, crying mess that was his own flesh and blood. "HE SAID IT WHILE HE WAS BEATING THE SHIT OUT OF ME, AND I WASN'T FIGHTING BACK. ARE YOU HAPPY NOW, STEFAN? ARE YOU SATISFIED WITH MY FUCKING ANSWER, OR SHOULD I GIVE YOU ANOTHER ONE?"

The look on Stefan's face was distraught, and he began stepping backwards. Without saying anything more to his brother, he disappeared.

\\/

The Salvatore brothers parked Damon's Camaro in the woods near the old witch house, but didn't get out of the car. They had been silent the whole ride there. Damon turned to his brother. "Why did you do that?"

"Do what?" Stefan looked legitimately confused, and Damon rolled his eyes.

"Put Alaric's life before Elena's. You could have gotten her back faster if they had Ric."

Stefan sighed, averting his eyes for a moment. "You put Alaric in danger to save Elena, and he got hurt because of it." The younger brother paused, leaning closer to Damon. "I have _never_ seen your face filled with so much sadness as when Klaus had Alaric's head in his hands. You don't deserve that pain, Damon."

"And you _do_? Next time, do me a favor and _don't_ do any more favors for me. I'll be the judge of what I deserve and what I don't." Damon got out of the car, slamming the door shut. He waited for his brother to join him on the other side of the car, and they began walking. Stefan didn't say anything else about Alaric or Elena. "How do we even know they're here?"

"We don't, but if they're not, we have about ten minutes before Rebekah tears Elena apart."

Damon sighed, and stopped Stefan, turning his brother to face him. "And if they're up here, you know what we have to do, and you know Elena will hate us for it."

Stefan's head dropped, and his voice quieted. "I know," He raised his head again, slight sadness in his eyes. "And I know that if it was her choice, she'd let herself die way before her friend."

"But, she _really_ only has to hate one of us. The one who does the deed." Damon had started walking again.

Stefan didn't say anything for a few minutes, until he realized what Damon meant. He smiled to himself a little. "I thought we weren't doing favors for each other anymore?"

"We're not. I told you to stop doing favors for _me_. Doesn't mean I can't do any for you." The smirk that captured Damon's face made Stefan's smile grow, but it faded when he heard voices at the top of the hill they were climbing. Firelight flickered in the night sky. Stefan stopped his brother with a hand on his chest.

"They're here. We need to call Elijah."

Damon nodded. "I'll figure out a plan for the witches."

And, he did. He killed Abbey Bennett, turned her into a vampire. He should have just _killed_ her, but for some reason, he couldn't bring himself to do it. Bonnie would hate Elena, and Elena would, in turn, hate Damon. He didn't know why he felt like Elena's hatred for him mattered, but it did. Maybe it was because of his brother, or maybe he still had feelings for the girl. He hoped to God it wasn't the latter.

Damon tried to call Alaric, but his phone went straight to voicemail every time. He figured it was because Ric needed rest, and he thought nothing of it as he got himself ready for bed. The vampire was woken up in the morning by his phone vibrating on the bedside table. He picked it up lazily, not recognizing the number. "I don't know who you are, but you woke me up, and I am _very_ pissed off now."

"Damon, you need to get to the police station, _now_!"

It sounded like Alaric, and Damon sat up in his bed, wincing at the sunlight peeking through the dark curtains on his windows. "Ric?"

"No, dumbass, it's your other boyfriend." Alaric scoffed. "Meredith shot me, and they're holding me here because they think I'm the one who's been murdering Council members, _and_ they think I went at Meredith with a knife and she shot me in self-defense. Which isn't true, I _found_ the knife on her kitchen table, and it just so happens to be the murder weapon that killed Bill Forbes _and_ the knife I found shoved in my gut."

"How much bail do you need?" Damon was already throwing his clothes on sloppily.

Ric sighed. "I don't know if you've noticed, Damon, but _murder suspects_ don't get out on bail. Just wake the fuck up and get down here." He hung up, leaving Damon in a panicked shock, racing to get dressed and out the door. When he got to the police station, Liz led him to the back holding cells without a word. Alaric was sitting on the bed of the cell, his head in his hands. When he heard footsteps, he looked up and was completely relieved to see Damon.

The human rushed to the bars separating him from the outside world. He glared at Sheriff Forbes. "_I didn't. Do it._"

"You're arresting him for what this nut job Doctor Fell says?" Damon tried to keep his voice calm. He also tried to keep his eyes off of Alaric, because the human's were pleading and helpless.

Liz sighed. "No, I'm detaining him. The cell is for his own good." She looked at Alaric. "You were shot, Doctor Fell used vampire blood to heal you."

"Doctor Fell is the one who shot me!"

"Because you came at her with a knife!"

"Yeah, with the knife I had found _hidden in her things_!" Alaric's voice was raising, and he couldn't help it. This situation was entirely ridiculous. All he wanted to do was go home with Damon.

The vampire rolled his eyes. "Are we gonna ignore the part where he's one of the killer's victims? I mean the guy was practically _stabbed_ to death."

Sheriff Forbes looked at Damon sternly. "Doctor Fell suggested that his wounds could have been self-inflicted."

Both Damon and Alaric stared at her incredulously. "Oh my god…you think I stabbed myself?"

"Look, I think I don't know _what_ to think." The Sheriff looked a little defeated. "I've got _nothing_ except murder weapons from _your_ stash, and a respected member of a Founding Family pointing a very long finger."

Alaric wanted to punch the iron bars in front of him. He couldn't believe any of this…he didn't know what to think either. "She is setting me up, I'm being _framed_!"

"Well that may be so, but I don't have any proof of that."

"We'll find something." Damon's voice was calming to Alaric's ears, as was the compassionate, worried look in the vampire's eyes. Ric couldn't help but smile a little as Liz continued yelling.

"No! Just, stay out of this, Damon." The vampire gave her a hard look, but she continued. "You getting involved will only make matters worse."

"Listen, Liz-"

"_Don't make me put you in that cell with him_!"

Alaric smiled at the words, because he knew nothing would make either of them happier than to be on one side of the bars, together. It didn't matter which one.

Sheriff Forbes walked away. When she closed the door, Damon immediately pressed himself into the iron bars separating him from Alaric. He reached an arm around the human's hips, pulling him closer. "Looks like this relationship has a new bad boy."

Ric sighed, but he also couldn't help but smile, too. Damon could make a joke in _any_ situation, and Alaric loved that about the vampire. "You're not gonna let me live this down, are you?"

"Not a chance, stud." Damon kissed Alaric as best he could through the restricting bars. When he pulled away, his entire demeanor changed. His eyes were no longer playful; they were hard and stern. The vampire looked straight into Ric's green globes. "I'll get you out of this, Ric. I promise."

The human shook his head sadly. "She said not to get involved, Damon."

"I don't care." Damon's hands slid up Alaric's sides, then back down again. The touch sent tingles through Ric's body, as did Damon's low voice. "You mean more to me that what this town thinks."

"Yeah, and you mean more to _me_ alive rather than dead. The Council will kill you if you act against them. Carol has told you that." Alaric's lips lingered over Damon's. His eyes found the vampire's, and he hoped he relayed the message in his words again, in that look. Alaric didn't want Damon to get into any trouble because of him.

The vampire smiled, if only for a moment. "I thought I told you not to make me worry, and you go and get yourself thrown in jail. If I didn't know better, I'd say you're trying to show me up, stud." After that, Damon let out a breath on Alaric's lips, then disappeared, leaving the human yearning for the vampire's touch.

\\/

**A/N: I was going to have a touching, sentimental reunion after Damon got back from the witch house, but then I decided to check the episodes and I had forgotten that Ric was put in jail. THE PLOT THICKENS, MY LOVELIES. I also hope you guys like my Defan moments. I'm not sure how well I write them, both in the future and the past, so let me know if it's good? Please review, it would make me positively giddy.**


	26. Chapter 26

Damon was woken up by a slap to the face. His first reaction was to hit the person back, but he realized he was still chained and roped to a chair, so he didn't. He opened his eyes and saw Elena sitting against the metal door across the room. She had a plastic spray bottle filled with what looked like water, and there was a disdainful smile on her face. "Morning."

"What are you gonna do with that? Strip me and cool me off?" Damon smirked, but his voice was leaving him. He was drying out after being tied up in the basement with no blood for over a week.

"You wish, lover." The girl's smile grew, and it took Damon a few moments to realize that the person in front of him _wasn't_ Elena.

He let out a breath and rolled his eyes a bit. "Katherine." He felt stupid for not realizing it sooner, because she was dressed entirely inappropriately and her hair had sexy curls all in it. "Why are you here?"

Katherine stood up, bringing her bottle with her, and stepped towards Damon slowly. "Stefan called me and said you were off the rails again, so naturally, I've come to save you."

"Save me? Since when do you care what happens to me?"

"Come on, Damon." Katherine purred. She was less than a foot from Damon now. She leaned down to his face, and put her lips to his ear. "You know I can't let anything happen to my boys." When she pulled back, she sprayed what was in the bottle on Damon's face, and it burned terribly. The vervain got into his eyes and he screamed in pain, which made Katherine giggle. "Lovely."

"How about you leave me the fuck alone, Katherine. I don't want you here." Damon's voice returned a little to him as his face healed itself. He could feel himself sweating.

Katherine frowned. "That hurts, love. I thought you'd be happy to see me, I can be your rebound after your little fling with that teacher." She sat down in front of him, her eyes seductive, as was her voice. "I'm also hurt that you didn't call me for a hot threesome with…Alaric, was it? Before he died."

Damon tried to lunge at her, but the chair barely moved. His fangs slipped down and his eyes filled with blood. "Don't talk about him like that, bitch."

She sprayed his hands this time, causing him to wince. "I'll talk about your human plaything any way I want, Damon. There's nothing you can do about it."

"Get away from him." Elena was on the other side of the door. She pushed it open quickly and had Katherine by the throat in under a few seconds. "I have no idea why Stefan thought you could help, but I am making you leave. _Now_."

Damon swallowed without realizing it. "Elena, stop. She's-"

"Stronger than you." Katherine growled as she pushed Elena off of her. The younger girl fell right into the growing vervain in the corner of the room and screamed as it burned her. Katherine smiled before pulling Elena up and throwing her into a wall. "Just because you're a vampire now doesn't mean I still don't want to rip your head right off your shoulders. Watch your mouth, missy."

"Let her go, Katherine!" Damon hissed, trying to get out of his restraints. He knew it was hopeless, but he couldn't help it. He was tired of being tied up.

Katherine stepped away from Elena, eyes fierce. She looked at Damon. "As you wish, love." She left.

Once both of them heard her close the front door upstairs, Elena let out a breath and ran a hand through her long, straight hair. "I'm sorry. If I had known-"

"Save it, Elena. Just leave me alone." He interrupted her, and she sighed.

"I'm not leaving, Damon." Elena pulled a chair from the corner of the room and sat in front of him. She put her hands over his. "I'm here for you."

Rage pooled in Damon's stomach, almost boiling up. "I don't _want_ you to be here for me, I don't _want_ you to save me, I don't _want_ to be saved, Elena!"

"You know, that's exactly what Stefan said to me in Chicago, and I have him now." The girl looked smug as Damon looked hard in her dark eyes.

"Well I'm not Stefan! I'm _not_ the good brother, Elena!"

"You can be, I know you can. Alaric knew you could." Her expression was too soft. Damon didn't like it.

His voice dropped, as did his head. "Don't say his name."

"Why? He knew you could be good, Damon! Just like I did, and I _still_ do! Even after he died, he still made the good in you come out. He may be gone now, but your love for him isn't, and that's what will save you…_if_ we can get you to realize that."

Damon looked up at her, tears flowing down his face. His voice was a whisper. "I can't. He's gone…I can't love him anymore."

Elena took his face in her hands. Her eyes were like dark, knowing globes. "_Yes you can_. You can love him forever, Damon. It doesn't have to cause you pain."

"I…" His entire body ached, especially his chest. He felt like his heart had been broken into an infinite amount of pieces then ripped from his body. He couldn't take it. Anger was easier than the pain, and that was what he was relying on. "Leave me alone, Elena." He pulled his head out of her hands. She looked confused.

"Damon, _please_-"

"I SAID LEAVE ME ALONE!" Damon shouted, causing Elena to stand up and step back, knocking her chair down. Hurt was all over her face.

"You can't keep pushing everyone away, you know. You're running out of people who care." She didn't give him a chance to respond before she slammed the metal door shut and disappeared upstairs. Elena joined Stefan in the living room, sighing as she sat next to him on the soft sofa. "He's hopeless, Stefan. We can't do anything for him anymore."

Stefan kissed her forehead and pulled her closer, letting out a sigh, as well. "You're right. Without Alaric, he's never getting back to normal. And, I'm sorry about calling Katherine…I just thought maybe she'd be hard on him because you and I can't be."

"It's okay, I actually think she broke him, but only slightly. He opened up to me a little bit." Elena smiled at Stefan, showing him she wasn't upset with him for calling Katherine. "I should check up on Jeremy, he's at home by himself. Where's my phone?" The older vampire smiled, and pulled out Elena's phone from his jacket pocket. He held it out of her reach, which frustrated her. "Stefan! Give me my phone!"

"Give me a kiss first." Stefan loved the frustration he was getting from her, glad to lift her mood a little. Elena smiled and kissed him deeply. She slowly brought Stefan's arm down, sneaking her fingers around her phone and pulling it out of his grip.

"Thank you." Elena dialed her brother's cell number. It rang a few times before he answered with a disgruntled sigh.

"What, Elena?"

"Don't give me that tone! I'm just calling to check up on you today since I stayed with Stefan last night." She kept her voice light, trying not to anger Jeremy.

Still, he sighed again. "I'm fine, Elena. I have to get ready for work, I'll see you later."

"Dinner with Stefan and Bonnie at seven!"Elena added quickly.

Jeremy laughed a little. "I know, Elena. _Bye_." He hung up the phone and stretched in his bed. Jeremy didn't want to get up at all. He didn't want to work, he didn't want to go to school ever again…he didn't want to do anything. Now that Alaric was gone for good, the boy didn't see a reason for even getting up. He had nothing to live up to anymore, no one to impress, and no one to look up to.

Jeremy took a quick shower and returned to his room, hearing someone talking. "Elena?" He stepped through his door and found Alaric staring at him. There were tears all down the man's face. Jeremy couldn't believe what he was seeing, and he stepped back a bit as he shut the door behind him. "Ric? But…how…?"

"What do you mean how?" Alaric whispered. His hands were shaking at his sides, but the rest of him was perfectly still.

Jeremy cocked his head, looking at Ric in confusion. "I thought you moved on. Damon-"

"Where is he?"

"Why?" Jeremy's shock had worn off, and he sat on his bed, being careful that the towel around his waist didn't open. "What's wrong with you, Ric?"

Alaric opened his mouth, but no sound came out for a few moments. When he spoke, his voice was barely audible. "What do you think, Jeremy?" More tears fell out of the ghost's eyes. "He tried to send me away. He tried to let me go."

"That was over a week ago, Ric…and besides, you're better off without him. He's a monster."

"What? It doesn't matter how long ago it was, I still can't live without him. He's not a monster…he makes me happy."

Jeremy could barely look at Alaric. He had never seen the man like this before. "He makes you happy? Alaric, _look at yourself_! You're a fucking mess because of what _he_ did!"

"Just…tell me where he is…" Ric's hands shook more. "_Please_…"

"I don't know where he is." Jeremy lied, hoping Alaric wouldn't pick up on it. There was no way he was going to let Alaric near Damon again, not after seeing what the vampire had done to him.

Alaric's tears stopped, and so did his hands. He stared at Jeremy for a few more moments. "You're lying."

"So?"

"So…? _Tell me where he is, Jeremy_!" Ric was getting angry, but he tried to keep himself as calm as possible. "Why are you lying to me?"

"Because he _murdered_ seven innocent people last week!" Jeremy had stood up. He was eye to eye with Alaric, who's green eyes flashed with sadness.

"No…"

"_Yes_. Stefan and I had to go stop him, but we didn't find him in time and he killed _seven people_. Is that the kind of person you want to love? A monster?"

Alaric shook his head in disbelief, tears forming in his eyes again. It was his fault. He was the reason Damon killed those people. If he had followed Damon that night, the vampire wouldn't have lost himself. "I have to fix this."

"What?" Jeremy's face showed the anger he was feeling. "Stop trying to fix everything, Ric! Damon is a _vampire_, he can't be fixed! Whatever you had with him when you were alive is _gone_. It's never coming back, and _he's_ never coming back. He's gone, don't go looking for him."

Alaric glared at the boy in front of him. "You may be willing to give up on everything, Jere, but I'm not." When Jeremy shook his head and tried to walk away, Alaric grabbed his arm. He didn't pay any mind to the fact that he could feel the boy's skin under his grip. "Where is he."

Jeremy looked at Alaric hard. "He's tied up in his basement, like the animal he is." The grip on his arm disappeared, and so did Alaric.

**A/N: Mixed feelings about this chapter, guys. I don't know where I'm gonna take it from here. Sorry I don't write Stelena well, they're not one of my favorites. But please review telling me what you think!**


	27. Chapter 27

\\/

Damon spent all day distracting himself from getting too involved with Ric's situation. He missed the human terribly, but there was nothing he could do about what had happened…he had come to terms with that. If anything new arose in the coming days, he would try his best to keep Alaric safe, but if not, he had no idea what he was going to do. He spent the day with his brother. He drank at the Grill with Stefan and Rebekah for a little while, then went off on his own for a walk when things got a little awkward. He walked around the entire town, twice, and decided to make his way to the boarding house after a few hours to drink some more there and think about Ric.

About a mile from the boarding house, he got a call, and picked it up without looking to see who it was. "Damon 'eternal stud' Salvatore speaking, how may I help you?"

"They let me out." It was Alaric, and Damon's heart skipped a beat at the man's voice.

"Are you okay? Where are you? I'm coming to get you."

Ric laughed. "I'm fine, Damon. I'm at home now, but don't come here. Elena is downstairs with Matt and they'd definitely get suspicious if they heard the things I'm gonna do to you when I see you."

The vampire smiled and felt complete relief wash over him quickly. Alaric was safe. "Alright, stud, settle down. Sneak out when Elena goes to bed?"

"I'll try." Alaric sighed. "I miss you, Damon."

"I miss you too, Ric." Damon had stopped in front of his house, seeing that lights were on. He forced himself not to get too mushy on Ric. "I'll see you tonight, okay? I gotta go in here and make sure Stefan hasn't gone Ripper on me again."

"Alright. I'll be there in a few hours." Alaric hung up, and Damon let out a breath as he headed inside the boarding house. Stefan was in the living room, staring at the fire in front of him.

"They let Ric go. I guess they're out of suspects again, but…Ric is in the clear." The older brother walked to Stefan, feeling a little bit guilty for making his brother feed from a living girl. When Stefan didn't move, or say anything, Damon continued. "I know it may not seem like it, but you did well tonight. You stopped. And before you know it, you're gonna be the king of moderation." Damon paused, waiting for a response, but still got nothing. He sighed. "Elena will understand."

"It doesn't really matter what Elena thinks." Stefan's voice was low, and filled with remorse.

Damon shook his head. "Uh-uh, none of that. No more 'no humanity' Stefan." He wagged his finger at the man who still had his gaze on the fire. He walked to the liquor cart and poured himself some whiskey. "There's a road called recovery, and we are _on_ it." His voice was smug.

Stefan finally stood up, glaring at his brother. "Why do you even care, huh? The whole 'brother bonding' thing, getting Elena to hate you…do you feel guilty because you kissed her? Is that it, Damon?" He was nose to nose with Damon, who's mood had dropped significantly. Stefan paused, then continued. "Because you can _stop_. Go back to hating me. It was a lot easier."

Damon looked hard into Stefan's eyes, a little anger building in the pit of his stomach. Every time he tried to help someone or be nice, it got thrown back in his face. "I don't feel guilty for kissing Elena because it _wasn't real_, Stefan. I don't have feelings for her. Can you for _one minute_ believe that I'm actually trying to help you?"

Stefan started to walk past his brother. "I don't need your help."

"_You don't need my help?_ Are you _kidding_ me?" The older brother's jaw dropped as he turned to face Stefan. "Do you remember what happened the last time you said that?"

"What are you talking about."

"1912, Stefan. The last time I convinced you to drink human blood. The Founder's Council killer had nothing on you. By decade's end, people were calling you the Ripper of Monterey." Damon could see the hurt in his brother's face, but he continued anyway. "I let you walk away. I watched you go over the edge, and I didn't do anything to stop you."

Tears welled in Stefan's eyes as he realized everything Damon was saying. "You couldn't have."

"Sure I could. I just didn't want to." Damon stepped to Stefan, ignoring the front door opening and closing. "But I want to now. Whenever you go too far, I will be there to pull you back. Every _second_, every day, until you don't need me."

"Why." Was all Stefan said. His expression showed just how terrible he felt for doing the things he did.

"Because you're the only family I have, Stefan." Damon glanced at the person who had entered the house, and he was internally elated to see Alaric standing at the entrance to the living room. When he smelled dried tears on the man's face, he sped to the human. "What's wrong?"

He wasn't crying anymore, but Alaric's voice cracked in a silent sob as he stared in the vampire's ice blue eyes. "Meredith was right. It's me. I'm killing the Founder's Council…I _stabbed_ myself…" Ric whispered, and shook his head in disbelief. "I don't remember anything, Damon. I don't know what to do."

Damon immediately pulled Alaric into a tight hug. He was completely shocked, to say the least, and he wanted to know why and how Alaric was actually behind it all, but he wasn't going to press it right then. He felt the human relax into his body. "It's okay, Ric. You'll be okay."

"I've _killed_ two people, Damon…it's not okay…" Ric was still shaking his head.

"You _will_ be okay. Ric, look at me." Damon took Alaric's head in his hands, pulling the human's face up. "You will be okay. I won't let anything happen to you, I promise."

Alaric leaned his head against Damon's. He wanted to believe the vampire desperately, but he knew Damon wouldn't be able to keep that promise. "Don't say that." Ric's hands gripped the vampire's sides. "_Please_ don't say that."

"Say what, Ric? That I'm gonna protect you, that you'll be okay? Too bad, because it's true." When Damon placed a hand on Alaric's cheek again, the human tried to pull away from the touch. Damon pushed his face back, staring intently in the man's sad, green eyes. "I will _die_ before I let _anything_ happen to you, Alaric. The alternative is…well, it's not acceptable."

Alaric pulled away from the vampire. He shook his head again. "What happens when I try to kill Elena, or Jeremy, or Stefan, or…_you_! What happens then, Damon? Does everyone just die because I'm going fucking insane?" He raised his voice and his breath became uneven. Ric ran a shaking hand through his hair, looking everywhere but at Damon or Stefan. The younger vampire was standing a few feet away, staring at the human in shock.

Damon took one step towards Ric, his voice calm and comforting. "You're not going to kill anyone else, Ric. We'll get you the help you need, Bonnie will do a spell or something…I don't know. You're not going insane, it'll be okay."

"You're not getting it, Damon! I have lost _hours_ of my memory, I've staked a human in the chest, I've _stabbed myself_! What if I try to stake you? If I ever hurt you-"

"Ric, _calm down_, you don't need to get worked up like this." Damon was starting to seriously worry about the human. It was getting more difficult for him to hide the concern in his expression as he pulled Alaric back to him, leading the panicked man to the sofa. "Just lie down, have a drink, and relax, okay?" The vampire gave Alaric his half empty glass of whiskey and watched as the human drank all of it. Handing the now completely empty glass back to Damon, Ric lay back on the soft couch and let out a breath. His heartbeat slowed and his eyes closed, and Damon smiled as he watched the human visibly relax. He leaned down and kissed Alaric's forehead, his smile contagiously transferring to Ric's own lips. The vampire relaxed a little, too, glad that Alaric was no longer flipping his shit. He stepped past Stefan to the drink cart, filling the glass with whiskey again and handing it to Ric. He tapped his brother's shoulder. Stefan whirled around, shock still plainly on his face. Damon sighed. "Could Ric and I be alone, please?"

Stefan nodded. "Yeah…I'll see you tomorrow, I guess." He disappeared upstairs, and Damon poured himself some of the rapidly disappearing whiskey in front of him. He glanced at Ric, who was sitting up and sipping at his drink.

The vampire sat next to the human, facing him a bit. "You wanna tell me the details?" Damon's voice was soft and compassionate, and completely unlike his normal one. Still, Alaric shook his head, staring at the floor in front of his feet.

"I just want to sit here."

Reluctantly, Damon didn't push any further. The two sat on the sofa for a few minutes in silence, until Damon noticed Alaric starting to cry. The vampire set his drink on the table in front of him and did the same with Ric's, and he pulled the human into his chest. He didn't care that the man's tears were staining his shirt. He let Alaric cry, and Damon stroked his hair. The vampire leaned back to lie on the sofa more, letting Alaric wrap his arms around him. Damon kissed the top of Ric's head and forced back his own tears. "You're okay. You'll be okay, Ric. I'm here."

Alaric slowly brought his head up, looking at Damon. He opened his mouth to say something, but nothing came out. Ric looked over Damon's perfect face, which was filled with so much anguish. The human pressed his lips to Damon's. He pulled away after a moment, looked at the vampire again, then kissed him more deeply. He pushed his body harder onto Damon, which caused the vampire to slide underneath Ric more. Damon gripped Alaric's hair tightly as he kissed the man, and they were like that for a while. Ric didn't want to think about anything else, he just wanted Damon.

"Ric, you need to rest." Damon's words were whispered on Alaric's lips.

Alaric shook his head. "I need to kiss you."

Damon smiled, and kissed Ric softly one more time before looking straight in the man's eyes. "_You need to rest_."

"I need to rest." Ric's voice was monotone. His eyes never left Damon's stare.

"You won't remember I compelled you."

"I won't remember." After Alaric spoke the words, Damon broke eye contact and began to lightly kiss the human's neck. Ric pulled his head away. "I need to rest, Damon."

The vampire smiled again, running his fingers down Alaric's cheek. "Okay, Ric."

Alaric got off of Damon and stood up. He took his glass of whiskey off the table and downed the rest of it. He did the same with Damon's, and he pulled the vampire up. "Your bed is sounding really comfortable right now." Damon did nothing but smile. He laced his fingers with Alaric's and the two went to Damon's bedroom. Alaric stripped down to his boxers and looked up at Damon, who was sitting on the bed, leaning against the headboard. "Is it okay if I stay here tonight? I don't want to sleep alone…"

Damon nodded. "Of course." He opened his arms to the human. "Come here." Ric smiled and got in the bed, resting his head on Damon's chest. The vampire wrapped his arms around the human. "I love you, Alaric Saltzman."

"I love you so much, Damon Salvatore. Please don't let me go."

\\/

**A/N: _Be still and know that I'm with you. Be still and know that I am here. Be still and know that I'm with you. Be still, be still, and know. When Darkness comes upon you, and colors you with fear and shame...be still and know that I'm with you, and I will say your name._**


	28. Chapter 28

Damon awoke that night to the scent of Alaric. He didn't want to open his eyes, because he thought the smell would go away. So he inhaled deeply, smiling as he did. "Ric." He was surprised to hear a voice answer him.

"Damon, open your eyes." Alaric's voice…but that was impossible. Damon's eyes flew open to Ric standing a few feet away. The vampire felt lightheaded, and numb, and he concluded that this must have been a dream.

He smiled. "This is nice. Come to take me away to wet-dream-land?"

Alaric stared at Damon, confusion all over his face. "Dream?" His voice was soft, like he was afraid of speaking.

"Yeah. This has to be a dream, or you wouldn't be here."

"Damon…" Ric shook his head, smiling a bit. "You're not dreaming. I'm here." Everything was silent for a few moments as the vampire stared at Alaric, looking him up and down. The ghost was the one who spoke next. "Why is there blood on your cheek?"

It took Damon a few more moments to find his voice, and when he did, it was only a whisper. "Jeremy."

Alaric sighed, nodding. "Figures. I'm sorry, he's ridiculous." He stepped to Damon, not sure if he should touch the vampire or not. He didn't. "Damon, why did you try-"

"To send you away?" Damon's voice was hard now, and his expression told Alaric that he was hiding his true feelings. He didn't say anything and let Damon continue. "You don't belong here. You're dead."

"I'm sorry, but when did it become your decision whether I belong here or not?"

"You don't. _You're dead_. Last time I checked, dead people don't belong in relationships with the living." Damon's voice was filled with venom. His eyes shot daggers at the man in front of him, which hurt both of their hearts.

"Last time I checked, you weren't living, either." Alaric had to force back most of his anger. He was there to help Damon, no matter how mad he got.

Damon glared. "You know what I mean." He stared at Alaric for a few more seconds. "Why are you still here? Why didn't you move on?"

"You really wanna know why?" When Damon nodded and smirked, Alaric stepped to him, gripping the vampire's face with both hands. He kneeled down. "_Because I'm in love with you, Damon_. That's why I can't move on. I can't leave this earth without _you_."

Damon looked in Alaric's ivy globes for only a split second longer before pulling his face away, hiding the tears in his eyes. "Get out."

Alaric stepped back, shaking his head. "Damon, no."

"I said, _get out_!" The vampire snarled and looked back at Alaric, bearing his fangs. His blood filled eyes were wide and his breath was uneven.

Again, Alaric shook his head, pursing his lips. "No. You think you can just flash that pretty face of yours and I'll leave? Come on, Damon, you know me better than that."

"Fuck you."

"You've probably pushed everyone else away, and that's why no one's here keeping an eye on you." Alaric's tone was now light, and void of any emotion. "But you're not gonna do that with me. I don't break so easily."

Damon growled. "Oh yeah? How about you come over here and we'll see just how easily you break."

Ric laughed, and glided over to stand in front of Damon. He leaned down. "You can't do anything to me. I'm already dead, and I have eternity to stay here and fuck with you." The ghost then walked to the growing vervain plants, plucked one of them, and returned to Damon. The plant fell through his hand after a moment, but he picked it back up and quickly ran it across Damon's cheek, causing the vampire's skin to burn off. Damon shouted in pain, and Alaric smiled just before the vervain fell through his hand again. "I don't want to fight with you, Damon, but you need to get out of this rut you're in, and it looks like I'm the only person who's gonna save you."

"Why does everyone think I even _need_ saving?!"

"Because you _do_, Damon! You _killed_ seven people! That's not normal behavior for you!" Alaric's voice had raised in pitch, which Damon found amusing. He smiled.

"It used to be."

"It's not anymore. Not if I can help it."

The vampire snarled again. "I don't know if you remember, but I told you to leave." Damon's heart was aching again from seeing Alaric. He wanted to be alone, he wanted to die there alone.

Alaric smiled, and started pacing. "You know, I'm not sure if you've noticed, but you haven't said my name since you found out I'm really here. I wonder why that is." When Damon said nothing, Ric continued. "You're distancing yourself. You're trying to make yourself believe that you don't care, when you know for a damn fact that you do. There's no switch, you've told me yourself. You can't just turn off your humanity and stop caring…so why are you acting like this?"

"Because I don't give a shit about you anymore." His voice was acidic, and Damon glared at the ghost. Ric smiled, but didn't say anything. He stepped behind Damon's chair, running a finger over the vampire's sweat-covered cheek. Damon breathed hard. "What the fuck are you doing."

"You remember the first time we had sex, Damon?" Alaric had walked back around the chair. He was kneeling in front of Damon now, with his hands running down the vampire's chest. "Do you remember how I _begged_ you to bite me, how you begged me to fuck you?"

Damon's breath was heavier, he started sweating again. "Stop."

Alaric smiled again as he stood back up and then began to straddle the vampire in the now seemingly small chair. He leaned down and took Damon's earlobe in his teeth gently, loving when the vampire took in a quick breath. "You didn't want me to stop when I was plowing into you and you were _moaning_ my name."

"Ric…stop…" Damon had closed his eyes, but his fangs never went away. His head slowly leaned back and hit the chair behind it.

Alaric's lips trailed down Damon's neck. "That's it, Damon…say my name." He breathed the words on Damon's skin just before biting the flesh underneath his lips.

The vampire had lost all self control. He arched his back so his body pushed up into Ric more, moaning. "…_Alaric_." After he said it, the ghost got off of him quickly, a smirk planted on his lips.

"Looks like _somebody_ still cares."

"Fuck off." Damon was panting for breath, and trying to ignore the sudden tightness of his pants. "That wasn't fair, and you fucking know it."

Alaric mocked surprise. "Since _when_ do we _ever_ play fair?"

Damon struggled against his restraints futilely. No blood for over a week, and now he was horny as _hell_. It wasn't fair, it was the _farthest_ thing from fair, and he couldn't take it anymore. He grunted angrily, still struggling to get loose, and he heard the front door open and close quickly. Someone was practically sprinting down to the basement. "STEFAN!" Damon was terribly disappointed when Jeremy burst in the room. "You again?"

"Say another word to me, and I'll shove this right through your heart." The panting boy didn't even glance at Damon as he pulled a stake from his back pocket, and he opened his mouth to say something to Alaric, but the ghost cut him off.

"No, you won't. What are you doing here?"

Jeremy sighed. "Making sure you don't untie him."

"I wasn't going to."

"Could've fooled me." The boy scoffed. His expression was entirely disdainful. "What happened to 'he's not a monster, I can't live without him, he makes me happy'?"

Alaric's face was hard, and he tried not to let his sudden rage get the best of him. "That's still true, it always has been."

Jeremy glared at Alaric for another moment before finally looking at Damon. He smiled. "You look like shit." His eyes scanned the vampire, and got wide at the man's crotch. "Do you have a fucking boner?"

"I thought I wasn't supposed to talk to you?" Damon smirked, settling back in his chair more. Jeremy looked back at Alaric.

"What did you do, fuck him?"

"You know, I've had just about enough of your fucking attitude, Jeremy. You're _not_ gonna talk to me like that, and you're not gonna talk to Damon like that, either." Alaric held his hand up when Jeremy began his retort, and the boy silenced. "Shut up, and go home."

The boy said nothing more before he exited the room, and Damon couldn't help but smile. "You're sexy when you stick up for me."

"Don't think that anything I said to Jeremy changes what I was doing before. I'm still not leaving, you're still not getting any blood, and we're gonna stay like this until you get your shit straight." The ghost went to pluck another stem of vervain. It fell through his hand twice before he got back to Damon, and the vampire's smile turned into a devious smirk as Ric dragged the burning plant across his chest.

"Bring it on, stud."

**A/N: A few very important things!**

**First: 4x02 was PERFECT in every way because it showed Stefan that he should listen to his brother more because DAMON IS ALWAYS RIGHT. And don't even get me started on the Dalaric scene at the end, I cried so fucking hard and I wanted Ric to be able to talk to Damon and just UGHHH. I guess that's why I'm writing this fic because Alaric shouldn't be dead and I want he&Damon to be happy.**

**Second: I wrote a one-shot fic about Alaric's death and his impact on Mystic Falls / the fandom. It's called "History Hunter" and it involves an original character of mine who happens to be Alaric's sister. I'd really appreciate it if you guys would read it! It's on my profile if you're interested, and don't worry, Alaric&Damon were together in it (:**

**Third: I want to thank you ALL so much for your PERFECT reviews! They're seriously what keeps me going with this and your feedback is always perfect and I swear I love you all to bits. I especially want to thank , Bocamere, and NightmareNightingale for all your kind words and just...my happy feels are everywhere when I read your reviews. Thank you so much.**

**Lastly: NEW PICTURE FOR THIS FIC BECAUSE I FOUND IT ON TUMBLR AND MY FUCKING FEELS BURST EVERYWHERE BECAUSE IT'S SO GODDAMN PERFECT I JUST CAN'T, GUYS. Dalaric will be my otp forever.**


	29. Chapter 29

\\/

Alaric stirred awake from the best sleep he'd had in weeks, expecting to be in his bed at the Gilbert house, but upon opening his eyes he found himself in Damon's room…in Damon's _bed_. The sun hadn't come up yet, but light was barely making an appearance through the dark curtains tailing the windows. The vampire was lying on his back, shirtless, asleep, next to Alaric. Ric's leg was entangled in Damon's and the human's fingers were laced with the vampire's. Alaric couldn't help the elated grin that formed on his face. He removed his fingers from Damon's hand and slid closer to the sleeping vampire, kissing up the man's sides, chest, and stopping at his neck. His lips lingered there, caressing the skin gently, and never stopping, even when Damon stirred.

"Mmm…Morning, stud." He spoke with his eyes closed, and Alaric continued to kiss his neck. Damon arched his back a little. "I could get used to waking up like this."

Ric pulled his head up and looked at Damon, who's eyes were still closed. "Don't get too used to it yet, I have to get back home before Elena wakes up and sees breakfast isn't made."

Damon's eyes shot open. "You'll get up to make _them_ breakfast but leave me here alone?" The vampire's voice mocked sounding hurt. "She depends on you too much."

"Which is precisely why I need to get back before she wakes up." Alaric returned his lips to Damon's neck and moved so he was on top of the vampire, grinding his hips down hard. Damon took in a breath, smiling.

"It doesn't seem like you wanna leave too badly, stud."

Ric laughed into Damon's neck. "Well, I don't, but I _have_ to." The human trailed light kisses up to Damon's lips, and he kissed the man passionately. The vampire's hands slid down Ric's body and cupped his ass lightly, warranting a moan from the human. "Morning sex sounds fun, right?" Alaric breathed the words on Damon's lips, making the man smile widely. He kissed Ric again and was in the middle of sliding off the human's boxers when someone cleared their throat.

Damon pulled away from Ric and saw his fully clothed brother standing just inside the doorway. "Stefan."

The younger brother ignored Damon and looked at Alaric with pursed lips. "I'm heading over to Elena's and I was gonna take you with me, if you wanted. I didn't see your car outside and I figured you walked here last night." He was averting his eyes every few seconds, like he was embarrassed at what he was seeing in front of him.

Alaric kissed Damon once more before getting out of the bed. When Stefan stared at him, wide-eyed, Ric looked at him strangely. "What?"

"Uhm…" Stefan shifted uncomfortably and finally tore his eyes from Alaric, who looked down and saw his incredibly hard dick through his boxers. He immediately pulled the blanket off of Damon and covered himself, his face filling with color and his heart beating ridiculously fast.

Damon stood up and threw his arm around Alaric's waist tightly. He smirked at his brother. "No need to be jealous, Stefan. I know he's hot." The vampire was stark naked, and Stefan threw his hands up, covering Damon's lower half from his vision.

"Okay, this is _way_ too awkward, so I'll be downstairs." Stefan disappeared out of the room.

Alaric shoved Damon, a smile capturing his lips. "You're a dick."

"A _horny_ dick. A dick that wants yours in him right now, but can't have it because of cock blocking brothers."

"I heard that, Damon." Stefan shouted from downstairs.

Damon smiled. "I hope you did, Stefan!"

"I need to get dressed." Alaric laughed and dropped the heavy blanket back on the bed, beginning to gather his clothes from the floor where he had dropped them the night before. He was stopped by Damon pushing him against the wall next to the window. The vampire kissed his neck and let his extended fangs slide over Alaric's skin softly, making the human's breath stagger. "I need…to get dressed…Damon…"

"No, you don't. You need to stay here with me." His words were spoken into Alaric's neck, and Damon kissed Ric's pulse point once more before beginning to slide down to his knees. He trailed his lips over every inch of skin he could on the way down, and the vampire kissed Alaric's hip lightly before pulling back the man's boxers and biting into the flesh behind. The human made a sound, but swallowed half of it back, and twisted his hands in Damon's black hair as the vampire drank from him. The pain of it was strangely intoxicating for Alaric, much different than Damon drinking from his neck, or even his wrist. This was, for some reason, more intimate, and Ric loved it. He stifled with a whine when the vampire pulled his teeth out of his flesh. He watched as Damon licked the wound clean, then his crimson lips. Damon stood up, looking seductively at the human, and standing entirely too close for either of them to not be aroused. "Get dressed, Ric." He walked away, back to the bed, and all Alaric could do is stand there, breathing hard.

"You suck."

"No, no, Ric, there's no time for that, remember? Breakfast, Elena, reality." Damon did that eye thing he was _so_ good at, which drove Alaric wild, to say the very least.

Ric sighed and pulled on his jeans, having a difficult time getting them zipped and buttoned over his insane erection. "I'm gonna get you back one day, and you'll hate me for it, but it'll be worth it." He winced as the rough denim ran over the open wound on his hip, and he looked up at Damon while he put on his shirt. "You mind healing this?"

Damon shook his head, smirking. "That'll turn into a nice scar in a few weeks, and you'll be forever marked as mine."

"Great…possessive, jealous, vampire boyfriend." Ric threw on his jacket, running his hand through his hair, which was terribly dirty. He made it a point to take a shower immediately after making breakfast for Elena. "God, I still hate that word, but I don't know what else to call you."

"What happened to _lover_, hm?" Damon wagged his eyebrows at Alaric, which made the human smile.

"I forgot about that. So, you're my possessive, jealous, egotistical, overly charming…vampire lover. Cool."

Damon only smiled and got up again, sifting through one of his closets and pulling on a pair of jeans which looked much like the ones Alaric had on. He didn't bother putting on a shirt. "You just think _so_ fondly of me, don't you, Ric?" The vampire stepped to Alaric, who was sitting on the bed, putting his boots on. Damon leaned down and kissed the top of Alaric's head, keeping his fingers in the man's light brown hair. "Will you call me later?"

Ric nodded, standing up, and letting out a breath. "Now it's time for an awkward car ride with my lover's brother." He smiled when he saw how much taller than Damon he was with his boots on, and Damon without any shoes whatsoever. "Look at you, you're no taller than my students."

"You know what they say, stud," Damon began walking out of the room, and down the stairs, and Alaric followed. "Short guy, big ego, big di-"

"Don't even go there, Damon." Stefan cut off his brother, holding up a hand.

Damon smirked, wrapping a possessive arm around Alaric's waist. "Cock. Blocking. Brother."

Stefan ignored Damon and looked at Alaric. "I'm just gonna drop you off quietly, I was gonna talk to Elena, but I thought better of it. Ready to go?"

"Yeah." Ric smiled, then turned to Damon. "_Be good_, okay?"

"Ric, Ric, _Ric_, you are hoping for something that will _never_ happen for the rest of eternity." Damon had to raise himself up a little to kiss Alaric's lips. The human's warm hands slid around Damon's bare hips and the vampire had to pull away before he took things even further. He smiled, settling his feet back on the floor, and looking in Ric's eyes. "You better not forget to call me."

"I won't. Bye, Damon." Alaric placed a gentle kiss on Damon's cheek before letting go of the vampire and walking out with Stefan. They got in the vampire's car, which was a little too small for Alaric's long legs, but he dealt with it.

After a few silent moments, Stefan glanced at Alaric. "You really love him, don't you?"

Alaric couldn't help the smile that crept on his face at the words. "Yeah…I do." There were another few silent moments, until Ric spoke again. "I'm sorry if it's awkward for you."

"It's alright. I'm just not used to it, yet. I just…I don't really get it." Stefan's tone was hesitant and confused as he drove.

"What don't you get?"

The vampire looked at Alaric, then back at the road. "You and Damon." When Ric said nothing, Stefan continued. "I've been dealing with my brother for a hundred and sixty-six years, and I honestly cannot stand being around him most of the time. And he's _killed_ you, twice, but…you love him, and you come to him when you're upset, and you kiss him like you used to kiss Jenna but with more passion, and I just don't understand it."

Alaric let out an exasperated breath. He had barely had time to think about exactly _why_ he was in love with Damon, and he had just focused on the feelings he had while he was around the vampire. He was going to have a difficult time putting it into words if he wasn't going to repeat what he had said after he and Damon had sex for the first time. Regardless, he tried. "I don't really _fully_ understand it, either. I just love him. I know he's frustrating and he never listens to _anyone_ and he's a complete dick most of the time. He just…he was _there_, and I wanted to feel something other than grief and loss and pain and disappointment in myself, so I kissed him, and I never meant for it to go any further. Especially as far as it's come now. I needed a distraction, and I got Damon, and I fell in love with him. I don't know how it happened, it just did." The human paused, not sure if he should say what he was about to. "He really is sweet when he wants to be, and he looks out for me. I may get pissed when he tries to protect me like a little girl all the time, but I know he doesn't wanna see me get hurt. He'd do that even if we were still just friends. He's passionate and clever and funny and smart and sexy and charming and, just, _perfect_." By that time, Alaric knew he was babbling, but Stefan didn't seem to care. The vampire was actually smiling.

"I'm glad he makes you happy." Stefan said, after nodding a few times. "I'm glad he's not the total asshole I thought he was. To you, at least."

Alaric chuckled a little. "I'm glad he's not, either. That would just mean I'm one of those pathetic people who doesn't know how to get out of a bad relationship."

Stefan had stopped, a few houses down from the Gilbert house. He turned and smiled at Alaric. "Don't forget to call Damon later. And put in a good word for me with Elena? I-I'm not really sure what to say to her after she saw what I did…"

"Don't worry, Stefan. She'll be fine. She was saying last night that she sort of understood why you had to do it, she just didn't like seeing it." Ric got out of the car and walked around to the driver's window. "I'll see you, and thanks for the ride." Stefan nodded and smiled, driving off, and Alaric walked in the cold to the house, silently slipped his key in the door, and quietly made his way upstairs to his room. He changed into his sleep clothes, and he noticed the wound on his hip in the full-length mirror. Perfect bite marks, with large holes where Damon's fangs had been. Ric smiled at how beautiful it was, that his vampire had marked him, that no matter what happened, he would always have this reminder of how wonderful his time with Damon was.

Alaric put a bandage over the wound, then went back downstairs and into the kitchen to make breakfast. Halfway through cooking bacon, he glanced at the clock on the wall and ran upstairs, banging on Elena's bedroom door. "Wake up! Breakfast is almost done!" He heard the girl moan disgruntledly, and a few seconds later, she opened the door, looking _terribly_ tired and like a normal teenager in the early hours of the morning. Ric smiled at her. "Morning, sunshine."

Elena rubbed her face sleepily. "I'm going to kill you, Ric."

He held up his hand, showing her his ring. "I'll come back, and I'll be mean Ric. Get your ass down here and eat my food, damnit!" Alaric didn't let her respond before he turned and jolted back down the stairs to check on his bacon. It had finished, and he distributed it evenly between the two plates of eggs and sausage he had set at the table. He smiled as he heard Elena coming down the stairs.

"I have to say, as early as you have me up, this smells _good_." She was sniffing the air around her as she walked into the kitchen. She sat in front of a plate, as Ric put a glass of orange juice in front of her, and he sat down across the corner of the table from her. Elena didn't begin eating, she only looked up at Alaric, concern on her face. "How are you, you know…_feeling_?"

Ric sighed, looking back at her. "I'm fine, Elena. No memory gone. No murders. Yet." He started eating, and so did Elena. They didn't say anything for a few minutes.

"Meredith wants me to take you to the hospital for tests. She told me last night after you went to bed." Elena's large brown eyes searched Alaric's face for a reaction. "She got us out of school."

"You don't need to miss any more school, and neither do I. We're going."

"Ric, I think this is more important than work I can make up and things a sub can do for you for the time being. We're worried about you…please let us help."

Alaric sighed, and dropped his fork, his appetite leaving him. He ran a hand through his hair. "Fine, but I'm going out with Damon after. He can watch me and make sure I don't…kill people, or something." Successfully making up an alibi for spending time with Damon: check. Now all Ric needed to do was stop killing people.

\\/

**A/N: Oooooh, how very canon of me. Next chapter will be in the present, because I know that's what you're all _itching_ for :p Please review! Also, I've written a few other fics since updating this so if you're interested go on my page and read them (: And don't forget to tell me what you think!**


	30. Chapter 30

He wasn't sure how long Alaric was there torturing him, but Damon was getting sick of it. He needed blood, and he wanted to kill to get it. What was wrong with that? He was a vampire, it was what he did. Alaric had no hold over him anymore…the man was _dead_, after all. Still yet, Damon couldn't stop his yearning for Ric to kiss him. Every time Alaric got even a _little_ too close to him, Damon's body reacted accordingly. He hated it. He didn't want to be in love with Alaric anymore, it was killing him. But, how could he stay away when it felt like they belonged together?

"You still wanna kill people, huh?" Alaric's voice was void of emotion as it pulled Damon out of his thoughts. Ric was standing in front of Damon's chair, his knees against it.

Damon forced himself to sneer, but the muscles in his face wouldn't allow it. He was deteriorating, slowly, but surely. "Why don't you leave me alone?" His voice was hoarse and low.

Alaric leaned down, putting his cheek against Damon's sweaty face. His lips were at the vampire's ear. "Stop wanting to kill people. It's as easy as that."

"I can't. It's what I am." Damon whispered, and Ric pulled back, stepping away. He slapped Damon and it hurt much more than it should have for the vampire, and he let out a sound of pain. "All you have to do is leave, I'll die here and you won't have to deal with me anymore." He looked up at Alaric, his ice blue eyes as pleading as they could be.

Alaric's expression fell. His eyes looked sadly at Damon. "I don't want you to die, Damon. I wanna help you get out of this."

Damon didn't have time to respond, because someone was coming down to the basement. It was Stefan, and Alaric stepped into one of the corners of the room as Damon's brother opened and shut the metal door. Stefan looks at Damon, and his face is filled with defeat. Damon was going to say something, but he didn't have the energy after talking to Alaric for the last God knows how long. "I'm sorry, Damon."

He manages a "What?" as he tries to look at his brother in confusion.

Stefan lets out a breath, and Damon thought he saw tears in his eyes. "I'm sorry I killed Alaric." They stare at each other for a few moments, and Alaric steps out of the corner, never taking his eyes off Stefan. "It's my fault you're like this. Those people you killed, the way you've been towards Bonnie and Jeremy and Elena. It's my fault, and I'm sorry."

"Stefan-" Damon starts, finding energy to speak, but his brother cuts him off.

"I knew Alaric's life was tied to Elena's, and I knew you would lose him if Elena died. But she was begging me to take Matt, and she would have hated me if I let Matt die, and she's lost so many people, and I thought I could save her in time…" Stefan's tears finally fell, streaming down his face, and dripping from his chin. "I-I was selfish. I only thought about how Elena would've hated _me_, and I didn't care about anything else." His voice cracked. "I'm sorry, brother."

Damon had let tears fall from his eyes, too. His brother was finally realizing why Damon had been acting this way, Stefan finally realized that it wasn't all Damon's fault. He couldn't help but look at Alaric, who was staring at Stefan, smiling.

The ghost walked to Stefan and placed a hand on his shoulder. "Thank you, Stefan."

Turning around quickly, Stefan saw no one behind him, even though he had heard someone whisper in his ear and felt something on his shoulder. He looked back at Damon, dismissing it as his mind messing with him. "I know you loved him, and he loved you. I'm sorry he's gone. You didn't deserve losing him." Stefan walked to his brother, and began to break all of the chains which were holding Damon to the chair. He untied the vervain ropes, paying no mind to his hands burning when he touched them. When he was done, he knelt down so he could look in Damon's eyes. "Do whatever you have to do to get over his death. I won't stop you." Stefan then walked out of the room, leaving the door open.

Damon tried to lift himself out of the chair, but he couldn't. He was panting, trying to get some energy, and he looked up at Alaric, pleading with his eyes again. The ghost stepped to him and lifted Damon up, wrapping an arm around the vampire's shoulders. They slowly made their way out of the room. Damon stopped at the large fridge in the basement, opening it with the last energy he had, and he took out a blood bag and ripped through the plastic with his teeth. Alaric watched, and smiled, as the sweat dried from Damon's face, his eyes were no longer sunken in, and a little bit of color returned to him. He felt as Damon's grip on him became stronger, and the vampire could stand more on his own. Damon went for another bag, and soon, he had drained four of them, and Alaric was still holding on to the vampire. When Damon looked at him, he didn't know what to say, so he let him speak.

"You needed to move on. I was ready to let you go. I didn't want you to suffer here forever, I can't make you." The vampire pulled out of Alaric's grip. "We can't be together, Ric. It's not right. Not anymore." Damon began to walk past him, but he stopped, and leaned over to gently kiss the ghost's cheek. His voice was rough and low when he spoke. "I love you, Alaric. Stay away."

Damon was gone, then, and Alaric was left to wonder. He didn't want to stay away, he wanted to be with Damon, but the vampire obviously didn't feel like that was right. Well, Alaric wasn't having it.

"You think you can order me away again?" Alaric was in Damon's room before he could even finish the thought that he wanted to follow the vampire. Damon jumped a little at the sudden appearance, and he stood there and stared at Alaric, who continued yelling. "Who the _fuck_ do you think you are, Damon Salvatore? I'm not leaving! I _love_ you, and we are _going_ to make this work, goddamnit!" The ghost stepped to Damon and pulled him into a heated kiss, one he had been longing for the entire time he had been away from the vampire. Damon's hands were holding Alaric's face to his before the vampire could even realize what he was doing. He couldn't help his body's reaction to Alaric kissing him, but as soon as his head cleared, he pulled away and pushed Ric off of him.

"Stop! _We can't be together_! Get that through your head, Ric!"

Alaric shook his head. "No. Staying away is probably what's best for both of us, but I don't care. I. Am not. Leaving." Damon glared for a moment, before speeding to Alaric and punching him as hard as he could. It did nothing, really, it seemed. Alaric brought his hand up to touch the spot where Damon had made impact, and he cracked a smile, nodding. "If I were alive and that had hurt at all, we would be killing each other right now but since I'm dead, I'll let it slide."

"GET _OUT_ OF MY HOUSE, ALARIC!" Damon screamed at the ghost, but Ric just smiled.

"No." When Damon did nothing but glare, Alaric let out a breath. "You _really_ want me to leave, don't you?"

Damon rolled his eyes. "No fucking shit, Sherlock!"

Ric shook his head, and he pulled part of his shirt up, revealing his muscular hip and the perfect bite scar that was there. "Remember this? Remember what you said when you gave me this scar?"

The look on Damon's face visibly changed, into shock. "Don't."

"_You marked me_, Damon. You marked me as yours, forever." Alaric began to step back to the vampire.

Damon shook his head. "No."

"Whether you like it or not, you're stuck with me, for the rest of eternity. You made sure of that before I died." The ghost slipped his arms around Damon's torso, pulling his body close into his own. "I love you, Damon. The sooner you realize that you can't get rid of me, the sooner you'll stop hurting." Alaric gently kissed the vampire, and Damon complied for a few moments, but again…he pushed Alaric away.

"I'll stop hurting when you leave me the fuck alone."

The vampire disappeared downstairs, likely making himself a drink, and Alaric didn't follow him this time. He sighed internally, then he went to his last resort.

Bonnie.

**A/N: I apologize for the shortness of this one! I hope you liked it, though. There won't be any more present Dalaric until I can get the past sorted out, I've been dying to write the tomb scene but I'm only on 3x17 in the flashbacks so I NEED TO CATCH UP. I'm sorry if that angers any of you but it must be done! Besides, there's really only two more present Dalaric scenes, maybe three if I can stretch them out. (: Please review! :D**


	31. Chapter 31

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When Alaric calls Damon to pick him up from the hospital, Damon notices something is off. Ric's voice has something more to it. It's almost like arrogance, and for a split second Damon wondered if Alaric had somehow switched personalities from the time he left that morning until now. The vampire wrote it off and drove to the hospital quickly, not expecting to have a nice little argument with Elena about Stefan's feeding when he got there, but weathering through it nonetheless. Damon was getting really tired of her shit, but he told himself he had to get along with her for the sake of his relationship with Alaric.

"You know, one day I'm gonna choke Elena, and then none of us will ever have to hear her bitch about Stefan and his humanity ever again." Damon smirked as he watched Alaric eat, sitting across from the human in the cafeteria of the hospital. Alaric's lips turned up in a small smile, but he didn't say anything, and Damon let out a breath. "What's wrong, Ric?"

Ric dropped the burger he had in his hands and slightly glared at Damon. "_I_ don't wanna hear you bitch about Elena. I have enough on my mind already."

"I'm not bitching, Ric." Damon was hurt a little at Alaric's harsh tone, but he tried not to let it show. "I know you have a lot on your mind right now, which is why I'm trying to get it _off_ your mind." The vampire's eyes were sad, filled with concern. He didn't want Alaric to be hurting, but he knew the human was.

Alaric's expression was distant. "By bitching about Elena?"

"I'm not-" Damon stops himself and sighs. "What would you like to talk about, Ric?"

"How about the fact that I'm fucking insane and I have an evil alter-ego hellbent on _murdering_ Council members, hmm?"

Damon scrunches his face in slight confusion. "What the hell is wrong with you? I'm trying to _help_! You don't need to think about this too much, it'll make you-"

"Depressed?" Alaric finished Damon's sentence. "In case you didn't know, Damon, _I was already depressed_. It's nothing new."

The vampire sits back in his chair, his expression now a little hurt. He averted his eyes. "Glad to know I make you happy."

Alaric sighed. "Damon, you know that's not what I meant."

"Sure as hell sounded like it."

"Damon."

"_What_, Ric?" Damon's voice was just a little too loud, loud enough to turn a few heads, but that didn't stop him. "Look, I'm not good at comforting people, but at least I'm fucking _trying_ with you. How about you at least _begin_ to appreciate that." The vampire got up quickly and slammed his chair into the table, walking away. He was letting his anger in fully, which he shouldn't have been doing, but it was almost uncontrollable. He was worried about Alaric entirely too much, so any intense emotion he felt was definitely not getting filtered.

Alaric abandoned his food and jumped up to follow Damon. "Will you stop?" When the vampire ignored him and kept walking, Alaric sighed, grabbing Damon and turning him. "Damon, _please_. I know you're trying to help, I'm sorry." Ric smiled a little as Damon let out a breath and looked at him again.

"It's fine. You've got a lot on your mind." Damon looks into Alaric's eyes for a few moments, then smiles, and gestures his head towards the exit. "Come on, let's go drink and make out on my couch."

Alaric chuckles slightly, but says nothing, and they leave. As soon as Damon shuts the front door of the boarding house, he has Alaric on the couch and his lips attached to the human's. Damon makes sure Alaric's back is firmly against the back of the sofa before he begins straddling him, his mouth opening slowly. Ric pulls away when Damon's tongue enters his mouth. "This isn't helping my situation any, Damon."

"I think it's doing _wonders_, stud." Damon purrs the words in Alaric's ear before beginning to kiss down the human's neck. Ric sighs and closes his eyes. His hands are on Damon's chest, ready to push the vampire off of him. Damon feels the human tense up for a moment before he takes in a huge breath, like he was coming back to life again. Damon removes his head from Alaric's neck, looking strangely at him. "Ric, what's wrong?"

Alaric's eyes were wide and he looked scared. His breath was uneven. "How did I get here?"

"What? What do you mean?" The vampire's hands gripped the lapels of Alaric's jacket, and he looked into frightened green eyes.

"I-I was in the hospital…in the CATscan machine…then…" Ric shook his head as if he didn't believe what he had just thought. "My reflection…it-it narrowed its eyes at me and I started panicking and-and, then it felt like I fell asleep…and now I'm here…"

Damon's eyes are now wide as he realizes what Alaric is saying. He quickly pulled Alaric's hands up, searching for his ring. "You're not even wearing the ring! I don't understand…how did it even happen? How do you just _switch_ like that?"

Ric was still shaking his head, tears in his eyes. "I don't know, I _don't know_…" The human's mouth drops open and he finally looks at Damon. "I'm scared, Damon. What if I killed someone?"

"You didn't. Doctor Fell and Elena were with you from the time you got out of the machine until the time I got there. I took you to the cafeteria and you ate a little, then we got in an argument and you-_he_-and I came back here and…I guess _he_ doesn't like getting sexual with me because the moment he closed his eyes, you came back."

"Please stop saying 'he' like that." Alaric stared at Damon, not knowing how to respond. It had never happened like that before, he had never switched personalities while he was awake. It frightened him. "You…you knew it wasn't me, right? Damon, _please_ tell me you knew something was off…"

The vampire sighed and ran his hand down Alaric's cheek, to his neck. "I knew something wasn't normal, but I figured it was because you were stressed." Damon shrugged. "You'll be fine, Ric. Now that I know all I have to do is make out with you a little, I doubt we'll be seeing much more of evil-homicidal-you." Damon's eyebrows rose, and he kissed Alaric again, glad that it was actually him this time. He pulled away after a few moments, because Alaric was being hesitant, but Damon smiled anyway. "Come on, Meredith texted me a few minutes ago and apparently Rebekah is at the Wickery Bridge renovation. Needless to say, she's up to something, and we're gonna find out."

"Are you sure you want me to be out? Around people?"

Damon did nothing but roll his eyes, and he pulled Alaric up and back out of the house. When they got to the bridge, Meredith was waiting for them by her car. Damon rushed to the passenger side of his Camaro and let Ric out. He looked at Doctor Fell, and pointed to Alaric. "This one did a little switch-er-oony on us and made me think Alaric doesn't appreciate me."

"What?" She looked shocked as she placed a hand on Alaric's arm. "When did you switch? _How_ did you switch?"

Alaric threw his hands in the air and shook his head as the three of them walked towards the crowd of people up ahead. "I have no idea, but I wish you guys would stop asking me that! Tell me again why we're here, anyway?"

"Ric, the world can't stop just because you're an accidental psycho killer." Damon smirked, but it faded when he saw the look Meredith was giving him.

"Do you have _any_ tact whatsoever?" She turned her eyes to Alaric. "Why are you with him, again?"

Ric shrugged, sighing. "The sex is good, I guess."

Damon's mouth dropped, and he hit Alaric in the chest a little. "You _guess_? You'd be cheating yourself if you said I wasn't the best fuck you've ever had, stud."

"_Stud_? Okay, you guys are officially the weirdest gay couple I've ever seen in my life." Doctor Fell shifted her attention to Carol Lockwood, who was rapidly approaching the group. She asked Alaric about the restored Wickery Bridge sign that the school's history department had promised her. Which he had completely forgotten about seeing as he was dealing with himself being a homicidal Founder's Council hater.

He told her he'd get it to her as soon as he could, and when she walked away, he turned to Meredith. "_Get me out of here_."

She smiled a little. "My pleasure."

"I'm gonna stick around for a bit." Damon was staring at something on the other side of the large group of people, and Alaric followed the vampire's eyes to a redheaded woman, about his age. She smiled at Damon a little too seductively, which sent jealousy all throughout Alaric's stomach.

"Who is that?" He looked at Damon, who finally broke eye contact with the woman as he began to step forward.

"Blast from the past." The vampire turned and stalked away, but Alaric followed him, grabbing his shoulder and spinning Damon around.

"You wanna tell me who she is before I shove a stake through her heart?"

Damon smirked. His finger touched Alaric's bottom lip. "Shh, stud. Your jealousy is showing."

"Don't make me hurt you." Alaric pushed Damon's hand away from his mouth. "Who is she?"

"Sage. She's an old friend from nineteen-twelve. She helped me with Stefan. Nothing romantic, I swear." Damon sighed when Alaric didn't ease up on the daggers he was shooting from his eyes. "She's head over heels for Finn, the Original? They've been off and on for, I don't know, the last nine centuries or so?"

Alaric visibly un-tensed, and laughed at himself a little. "Sorry." He gestured ahead of him. "Go ahead. Just, call me later? And text me until you do?"

The vampire rolled his eyes. "Everyone watch out for my possessive, jealous, human boyfriend."

"Damon."

"What? You're going out with _Meredith_!"

Alaric stared at Damon. "Yes, but you _know_ her. She's my doctor, watching out for me so I don't kill any more of her boyfriends."

"Yeah, and she kissed you. That's not normal doctor behavior. I should…report her, or something."

"You're not gonna do that, and you _are_ gonna text me until we make plans for tonight. Got it?" Alaric raised a brow to Damon, and the vampire sighed.

"Fine. Have fun playing doctor." The vampire smiled venomously, then walked away and this time, Alaric didn't follow. He walked back to Meredith and sighed, and she looked at him, concerned.

"Trouble in paradise?"

Ric gave her a sideways glance, then returned his eyes to Damon talking to the Sage woman. They weren't close to each other, thank god, Alaric thought. "I get way too jealous and he gets mad. He does the same thing, though."

She smiled, and nodded. "So it's even. That's good, I guess."

"It is. I just hate how damn attractive he is. Everyone wants him, but he's _mine_." The vampires were now laughing with each other, and Alaric let out a frustrated breath as he watched.

Meredith grabbed his arm. "Come on, I'm taking you home. Not gonna let you torture yourself." When Alaric didn't move and his eyes stayed on Damon, the doctor sighed. "Ric."

"Oh, look, he's turning on his Salvatore charm. Lovely."

"_Ric_."

"He's probably picturing her naked."

Doctor Fell rolled her eyes and jerked Alaric back, towards her car. When he gives her a look, she returns it, but with much more sharpness in her eyes. "Damon is going to do what Damon does, and doesn't it normally turn out okay? You're being ridiculous and working yourself up, and you could switch personalities again, so stop."

Alaric looked at anything but her for a moment, sliding his hands in his pockets. "You're right." And, he knew she was. He didn't know how sensitive the other Ric was, and apparently his _extremely_ mean alter-ego could appear just by Alaric closing his eyes. The human shifted a little, kicking the toes of his boots on the dusty ground, and his head fell. "I don't wanna lose him because of this shit, but I know I will."

"You won't," Meredith pulled Alaric toward her car more, pointing to the passenger side. "Let's go."

Alaric grinned at her a little and got in, and they were at the Gilbert house in a few short, small-talk-filled minutes. Ric opened the front door and slapped his keys down on the nearest table. He sighed. "I've come to terms with the fact that I'm gonna lose him. You don't have to tell me otherwise just to make me feel better."

"I'm not telling you that just to make you feel better, Alaric." Meredith closed the front door behind her, and slipped off her coat. She looked warmly at Ric. "You're not going to lose him. Damon loves you, and he won't let something like this break the two of you apart. As frustrating as he is, I know he won't ever let anything happen to you, and that's why I trust him. With you, at least."

"You make it sound like he gives a shit about you trusting him."

"Well I know _he_ doesn't, but you do, and that means something to me, and to him." She smiles at him, and Alaric gives up on being hopeless.

They talk for a long while, drinking bourbon, and soon enough Elena comes home with a failure of a plan to use Bonnie's witchy goodness to help Ric. While he's writing down all his personal and bank information for Elena, he finally gets a text from Damon. Alaric eagerly looks at it.

_I have to do some things you're not gonna like._

Alaric's stomach sinks, and his hands begin to get clammy. He had been afraid something like this would come up with Damon trying to get information out of Rebekah, but he had had hope. Before he starts shaking, he gathers his composure again and texts back.

_Shoot_.

He writes down the rest of his information after he sends the message, and he slides the legal pad across the table to Elena. He looks at her sternly. "Listen, I want you to have this. This is a list of my bank accounts, passwords, where to find my will, and how to contact my family…just in case this doesn't go my way."

The girl immediately begins shaking her head. "No, don't even think like that." Elena slides the pad back towards Ric.

"Elena, I need to know that you and Jeremy are gonna be okay." Alaric's phone vibrates on the table and he shoots it a glance, but doesn't touch it as Elena responds.

"We're all going to be fine."

Alaric fought the urge to cry as Elena's phone rings, and he takes it as a chance to look at Damon's text.

_I have to get info out of Rebekah, but she's not gonna talk. Sage and I have a plan._

Shaking his head and overhearing Elena talking to Caroline about him, Alaric frantically texts back.

_Your plans never work out well for anyone but you._

Ric knew Damon was going to have to sleep with Rebekah, and possibly that Sage woman. Knowing that sad truth made his entire body want to shut down and never begin working again. He told himself Damon knew what he was doing, and he picked up his phone as it vibrated again.

_Cynical, are we? You know I wouldn't do this unless I had to. Barbie Klaus is up to something and if she's up to something then it can't end well for any of us, including you._

Alaric sighed. Damon was right. Damon was _always_ right. Ric hated it.

_Whatever, Damon. Are we making plans for tonight? Because if not, I'm asking Meredith to stay over to watch me._

"So, what's his master plan?" Meredith's whispered words in his ear startled Ric a bit. She was holding a glass of bourbon in front of him. He took it, hesitantly.

"Sleeping with Rebekah, most likely." Alaric sipped his drink. "I have no idea how that Sage woman is going to play in all of it, but he'll probably end up sleeping with her, too." His phone vibrated and he practically twisted his hands into knots trying to get to it.

_Fine._

It wasn't an answer to his question, not in the slightest. It angered Alaric. Damon was getting mad at _him_, when the fucking vampire was the one who was going to be cheating on Ric just to get information out of someone. Ric shook his head.

_You do this, and we're done_.

Just then, Elena turned back around, looking timid. Alaric stared at her expectantly. "Good news? Bad news?"

"Bonnie thinks she can help you with a spell." Elena walked back to the table, leaning on it, and Alaric felt a little more relieved.

"Well, it's worth a try."

"But she needs something you wore _before_ you put on the ring. Something personal."

Alaric thinks for a moment. "Well, there's, uh…there's my wedding ring. It's at the loft."

Elena nods, and she looks a little uneasy. "Okay, yeah. That's a good idea."

Ric begins to get up from the table, but Meredith's arms push him back down. She's smiling. "I think it's better if you stay here with me."

He looks up at her and sighs. "You and your tranquilizers." Alaric then he tells Elena where his ring is. The girl leaves, and not long after, Stefan shows up looking for her. Alaric doesn't want to deal with him or really anyone, but he tells the vampire where Elena had gone, and the boy disappears after her.

Alaric doesn't get a reply from Damon until almost an hour later, and he's a good bit tipsy from Meredith pumping him with bourbon.

_It's already been done. I'm sorry, Ric._

He doesn't think when he does it. Alaric throws his phone across the room, and luckily, it lands on a soft chair. He isn't even paying attention to what Meredith is saying as he jumps up and bolts out the front door, slamming it behind him. Before he can get to his car, Meredith has him spun around, her hands gripping his arms.

"Where do you think you're going?"

Ric has to shake his head rapidly to keep tears from falling down his cheeks. "Damon. Rebekah." He pulls out of the small woman's grip and continues to his car. "Kill."

"Oh no you don't! You're not killing _anyone_."

He stops, with his hand on the car door handle, and he turns around to face Meredith. His tears haven't fallen yet, but they're burring his vision. "I love him. Why does he do this to me?"

Meredith lets out a breath and takes Alaric's torso in her arms, leading him back into the house. "You sound like every high school girl in the history of ever." She lies him on the couch, then returns to the kitchen. "I'm making you coffee, you need to sober up."

"I _need_ to tell Damon how much of a selfish asshole he is," Alaric starts, his tears drying up a little. "But I can't. It's what I signed up for, anyway. Being with him will always be like this."

"No, it won't. He'll see how much it hurts you and he'll stop. He didn't sleep with Rebekah the first time because he knew it would hurt you. He's only doing it now because it's the only way to get what he needs."

Ric shook his head. "He shouldn't be doing it in the first place. He doesn't _need_ to know what Rebekah is up to, he just _wants_ to know. That's how it always is with him. He wants something, and he'll do anything to get it, no matter how much it hurts _everyone_ around him…including the person he claimed he never wanted to hurt, ever."

"So, why do you keep going back to him?"

Alaric thinks about the question for a long while before answering. "Because if something is broken, you fix it, not throw it away." He closes his eyes, relaxing more. "I love him, and I'm gonna fix him, whether he likes it or not." Ric feels comforting blackness pulling him down, and he lets himself succumb to it, drifting into sleep with a smile on his face.

\\/

**A/N: I am SO sorry for not updating in forever, I feel so terrible for abandoning you guys but I kinda lost my Dalaric muse when I started an RP tumblr blog for Klaus...not that it's an excuse but you know. That's the reason I've been scarce. I HOPE THIS EXTRA LONG CHAPTER MAKES UP FOR MY ABSENCE AND PLEASE REVIEW! && let me just say that I CANNOT with the show anymore because if I keep up with the projectile vomiting every time a Stelena moment happens, I will have no insides left. But Klefan is making a slow appearance again which makes me happy because of the neverending sexual tension.**

**Also, I am now in love with Klaroline BYE**


	32. Chapter 32

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Damon watches Ric sleep with his hands clasped together, resting against his chin. He was sitting in a chair next to the human's bed, with early morning sunlight pouring on his skin. In his mind, Damon was scolding himself, telling himself how much of a fuck up he was. His obsessions with getting information were tearing apart him and Ric, and the vampire absolutely loathed it, but at the same time there was nothing he could do. He hated that even more.

Damon got up and sat on the bed. He ran his hand over Alaric's cheek and forced himself to smile, because at least Alaric was alive, right? At least Damon hadn't fucked up so badly that he had gotten Ric killed permanently. He only made Ric mad, which he could fix. He hoped. He prayed.

Damon hears someone coming up the stairs, and it's not Elena, or Stefan. He quickly got back in his chair, leaning back casually, trying to hide the anguish on his face. He doesn't look up when Meredith opens the door, or when she begins speaking. "You've been there all night." Damon says nothing, and the doctor continues. "He's gonna be fine, Damon."

The vampire finally looks up at her, and his expression is sharp, his voice laced with sarcasm. "_Is_ he, Meredith? Is he _really_ gonna be okay? Because after yesterday, I'm starting to think that he's _not_."

"Bonnie did the spell, he's gonna be fine. Calm down." Meredith looked sad, and Damon didn't blame her. She had basically gotten stabbed by Alaric, the person who was supposed to be her friend. Only, it wasn't really him. Or whatever.

"No, I will _not_ calm down." Damon pushes himself out of the chair, trying not to raise his voice so he didn't wake Ric. He walks over to Meredith, right up to her. "I'm done being the positive little _shit_ I have been since this started happening. Ric is _losing_ himself and I've just been standing by and letting it happen, cheating on him and doing shit that I know will piss him off but it's what _I_ want, so I do it anyway." He takes her shoulders in his hands and looks in her dark brown eyes for a moment before continuing. "If anything happens to him because of this, I will go _fucking_ insane."

The doctor sighed, pursing her lips. "You really hurt him sleeping with Rebekah. He threw a fit." When Damon smirked, Meredith pushed his arms off of her and gave him a _look_. "Will you stop doing that? He almost went to find you and _kill_ you, and Rebekah!"

"Pfft, he wouldn't try to kill me. Rebekah, maybe. But not me." Just then, Alaric began to stir awake, and Damon glanced back at him, then to Meredith. He pleaded with his eyes at her, and she rolled hers, then turned and walked out of the room. Damon shut the door and returned to his seat.

Alaric took in a breath before opening his eyes. He saw Damon and his green globes flickered with happiness before his expression turned annoyed. "What the hell are you doing here?"

Damon smirked a little, hiding his hurt at Alaric's annoyed tone. "Just making sure the witch didn't turn you into a toad, or, a block of salt." He grinned, and Alaric looked confused.

"Huh?"

"Bonnie did a little spell. It's nothing to worry about, it's just something to keep the…killer in you, at bay." Damon struggled with the last words, not wanting to say them.

Alaric raised his hand, which had blood on it, and hurt for some reason. "Did something happen…?"

The vampire hesitated. "Let's just say you have an alter-ego 'hellbent on killing Council members,' hm?" Damon repeated Alaric's words from the day before, which hit the human a little too hard. Damon continued. "So, we're gonna pack up some of your stuff, go to the loft, just for a little bit. You know, it's like…house arrest. Light. With sex. And bourbon." That got a "you shouldn't have gone there" look from Ric, but the human said nothing about it. He sat up and looked around.

"Wait…where's Meredith?"

Damon waited a good ten seconds before saying anything. He didn't know if he should. "…she'll be fine, Ric." Alaric sighed. He lay back on the pillows underneath him, and Damon looked all around the room before speaking again. "Well, we had a way to kill the Originals, until Sage double-crossed me and sold me out to Rebekah. But I have a little secret weapon, so we should be fine." The human looked at Damon, hard. "What?"

"I don't fucking care about whatever shit went on last night while you were cheating on me. Sorry."

The words hurt. Stung. Damon knew he deserved it, though, so he weathered through, sighing. "Ric, I-"

"No. _You_ don't get to fucking talk." Alaric sat up in his bed again. "I told you we were done if you did it. You did. We're done. There's nothing to even begin to talk about other than the fact that you are the most selfish asshole I have ever met in my goddamn life." He went to get out of the bed, but Damon was on top of him, pinning him down, before he could. Alaric glared. "Get the hell off me."

Damon shook his head, his grip on Ric's wrists getting only slightly tighter. "Look, I didn't want to do it just as much as you didn't want me to. I _hate_ Rebekah. No…I _loathe_ her. The last thing I wanna do is sleep with her, but it was necessary to get in her head and find out what she's up to."

"You see, the thing is, you _didn't_ have to sleep with her to get in her head. You didn't need to get in her head at all. You _wanted_ to. There's a big fucking difference, one that makes getting stupid information more important than the person you supposedly love." He had to fight back tears, but Alaric's angry eyes bored into Damon's slightly sad ones. "Now, get. _Off_. Of me."

"No." Damon pushes Ric back down when he tries to get up. It would never work, and the vampire didn't know why Ric was even trying. "I do things that _I shouldn't do_, Ric. It doesn't mean I don't love you."

"Don't give me that same shit you gave me in the tunnels. Just don't. The more you say it, the less it means anything." Alaric was serious. He was drunk the night before when he said he was going to fix Damon. There was no fixing him, Alaric had realized. He was ready to move on from Damon, ready to write off their relationship as something that should have never happened, and didn't happen. He was ready to stop loving him, even with Damon on top of him, and so close. He didn't want to, but he was ready to.

"The more I say it, the more I mean it. I do things I shouldn't do. It's the truth. Doesn't mean I do them to hurt you, doesn't mean I don't love you. I'm a fuck up, okay? I'm a fuck up, but I _love _you. I know I don't tell you that enough but it's true." Damon couldn't help the defeat that he knew was in his eyes. Alaric had to forgive him. He _had_ to.

The human shook his head and let out a breath. "You're a fuck up that won't change. Ever. I don't know how I lost sight of that, but I damn well know it now."

"You want me to change? Fine, Ric. I'll change, for you." When Ric raised his eyebrows at him, Damon didn't change the hard look on his face. "But I don't wanna hear it from you when it doesn't last long." Alaric shifted underneath Damon a little, but didn't say anything. Damon kept his grip on Ric's wrists. "I am a _vampire_, Alaric, and I can't change. Take me how I am, or don't take me at all." Damon was legitimately afraid of what Alaric was going to say after that, because he knew Ric would keep fighting. Well, so would Damon.

"I think I'll do pretty well without."

Damon literally flinched at the words, as if they physically hurt him. He still didn't get off of Ric, though. "I won't."

Alaric sighed. "I don't care." He knew it was a lie, but the more he said it, the more he'd believe it, right?

Damon shook his head, smiled. "You do, you just don't want to."

Damnit. How was Damon so good at reading people? Well, Alaric knew it wasn't _people_, it was just _him_. Damon could read Alaric like an open fucking book, and Ric hated it. He also hated how his body was reacting to Damon being on top of him, holding his arms down. The vampire's hips hovered just above Alaric's, though Ric's were covered with his blanket. Still, it was too close for him to not enjoy it. He shakes his head, much like Damon had done. "Get off me." Luckily, Ric's voice was still hard, instead of needing and filled of lust, like he wanted it to be.

Damon's eyes scanned Alaric's face for a moment. "I'm sorry, Ric. I'm sorry for hurting you. It won't happen again…just…" The vampire's lips turn into a thin line as he looks in Alaric's eyes. He's slowly leaning his head down. "Don't leave. _Please_." Damon presses his lips to Alaric's in what was probably the most gentle kiss he'd ever given anyone. He finally lets his body drop on top of Ric's, even though the blanket is between them. He pulls away slowly, leaving his lips lingering close. "I'm _sorry_."

"I know." Alaric's body untensed. He hated how Damon's lips could make him give in to literally _anything_. Ric was completely and undeniably in love with Damon, no matter how much he wanted to fight it. This was why he didn't push the vampire off of him when Damon let go of his wrists and slid his gentle, perfect hands down Alaric's arms. Damon kissed Ric again, slowly. Alaric was a mess of passion and desire then, and his hands shot down to Damon's thick hair, his back. Clutching. Holding. Not wanting to let him go even though he knew he needed to. Alaric never wanted to let Damon go. The vampire was all he had that made him happy, and Ric was going to cling to that for as long as he could. For as long as Damon would let him.

Again, Damon pulled away, but he was smiling this time. "Now that I have you back, I can show you what I got." The vampire flashed his eyebrows at Ric before getting off of the human and sitting next to him. He pulled out his phone and showed Alaric a picture of the old wooden Wickery Bridge sign. He looked positively giddy, and Alaric stared at him.

"Why is this of any importance?"

Damon rolled his eyes and put his phone away. "That sign? It's made out of _White Oak_." When Alaric's eyes widen, Damon smirked. "There you go, get those wheels turning in that cute little head of yours."

"We have a weapon."

"Yes, stud. We do." Damon smiled and kissed Ric's cheek quickly. "Now get your ass up and pack your shit. We have a lot of whittling to do." Damon's arms are tucked behind his head, and he's leaned against the headboard of the bed. Alaric laughed a little, but gets up and begins to take his clothes off, heading towards the bathroom. "Oooooh, no, stay here and strip for me. Slowly." The grin on Damon's face was entirely too sexual, and Alaric ignored it, continuing into the bathroom and starting himself a shower. Damon had to force himself not to go in there and join him, because they didn't have time to be having hot, long, shower sex. Or maybe they did, if Damon was quick. If he just stripped fast and went in before Alaric could tell him no. If he immediately bit Alaric, and pushed Ric into the wall of the shower. It wouldn't take long for Alaric to get hard, Damon already knew that. If he made Alaric bend him over, thrust into him, while he's moaning the human's name…all done quickly. "_Too_ quickly," Damon says, shaking his head. He had just decided to wait there for Alaric to get out of the shower, when the human poked his head out of the bathroom door.

"You coming?"

Damon internally chuckles at the statement, but keeps his face confused. "What?"

Alaric shrugged. "I figured you'd be showering with me. Guess not." He shut the door again, locked it. Damon grinned and broke through it as quietly as he could, seeing as Elena and Bonnie were still downstairs, doing whatever it is they do. Worry, Damon supposed. He shakes off thoughts of the two girls and shuts the door again, only, it creaks open a little. Oops. He looked up at Alaric, who was completely fucking naked. _Fantastic_. "I'll get that fixed." Damon then lunges at Alaric, pulling the smiling human in for a heated kiss. Ric starts sliding off Damon's clothes, one by one, and they lose themselves when they get in the shower, completely taken in by the hot water pouring over them as they tangle themselves in each other in every way possible.

\\/

**A/N: Okay, so, I have no idea which one of you lovely readers did it, but someone nominated this fic for "most promising slash fanfiction" on a Work In Progress awards blog. I literally fangirled when I read the message the blog sent me. Whoever nominated me, thank you _SO_ MUCH, I have no idea how or why you think my fic is worthy of something like that but I am definitely not complaining at all! You guys seriously give me so much hope and I can't thank you enough for all your perfect reviews and just asdfghjkl. I know it took me a while to post an update but I hope you guys like this chapter, it's kind of a parallel to a lot of things said & done in previous chapters & I hope you guys notice it or enjoy it or both. Please review! They're seriously what keeps me going (:**


	33. Chapter 33

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By the time Alaric and Damon went to the loft, it was almost afternoon, and Stefan was getting impatient. Elena and Bonnie had gone somewhere together when Damon and Ric left, which made Damon want to stay and take a few more showers. But Ric insisted that they needed to get moving with the White Oak stake plan, so Damon resisted. This time.

Stefan was already at the loft when they got there, and Damon shoved the Wickery Bridge sign in his hands. "There's your sign, now will you be so kind as to _not_ call a million times ever again when Ric and I are having sex? Thanks." Damon walks past him into the apartment, followed by a smirking Alaric.

"Well, we have things to do, and you two don't need to be doing…_that_…while there's Originals that need to be killed." Stefan closed the door and carried the sign over to a tablesaw he had set up in the middle of the room. He glanced up at Alaric. "I hope you don't mind. I found it in your closet. Saves us the trouble of renting one. I don't know how to use it, though, so…"

Ric sighed, mocking annoyance. "Alright." He begins to take his jacket off, but is interrupted by Damon pushing him hard against the back of the door, running his lips all over the human's neck. He slips Alaric's jacket the rest of the way off as Ric moans, a little too loudly.

Stefan cleared his throat, but Damon didn't stop. "Excuse me." Still, Damon is attacking Alaric's throat with his mouth, and soon moves up to his lips. Alaric's hands find their way down Damon's back, then up into his shirt. Stefan clears his throat again, and stomps his foot down on the dark wood floor. "Are you two just gonna make out the whole time we're here?"

Damon had gone to the trouble of biting Alaric's bottom lip to the point where it bled, and he sucked the blood from the wound for a moment before pulling away and turning around to his brother. A single crimson line dripped down the side of his mouth. "I was planning on it, but since you can't work the saw and I would much rather watch Alaric operate a power saw than do it myself, Ric has to do it." He smirks and uses his thumb to collect the blood from his chin and into his mouth. He turns back to Ric, who was still against the door, breathing hard. Lust seeping out of every pore on his body. Damon grins. "Get to work, stud."

"I swear you do this to me on purpose." Alaric gathers his composure, wipes his mouth, and heads for the giant saw in the middle of the room. He took the Wickery Bridge sign from Stefan and placed it perfectly straight on the table. He's halfway into cutting the third two-inch-thick slab, and trying to ignore the large smirk on Damon's face, when the vampire's eyes widened. Alaric stops the saw. "What?"

Damon puts his finger to his lips and glances at Stefan, who nods. Soon after, there's a knock on the door. Damon answers it. "Morning sunshine."

It's Elena, and she looks annoyed to see Damon, which only makes the vampire smile. "Hey. How's Alaric?" She tried to walk past Damon, but he stopped her.

"Indecent. But, fine."

She cocked her head a bit, in confusion. "So, then…does that mean there were no issues last night?"

Damon grins. "Nope. Slept like a baby. Woke up _Alaric_." Inside the apartment, Alaric felt a shiver in his spine when Damon said his name like that. He says nothing, stays quiet, but notices Stefan's eyes on him as Damon continues speaking. "No bad minds about dead Council members."

"Then why do I feel like you're hiding something from me?" Elena's tone is very suspicious, but Damon shifts a little and rolls his eyes.

"Well, maybe because you're being all…_paranoid_ and control-freaky." Damon gets a look from Elena, but ignores it and takes the brown bag off the tray of two coffees she has, opening it and smelling the contents. "What'd you bring me? Ooooh, chocolate muffins. You know what they say…the way to a psycho-killer's heart is through his stomach." The smirk on Damon's face clearly makes Elena want to slap him, but she doesn't. She takes the bag back from him.

"They're not for you."

"Fine," Damon said, sighing. "Keep convincing yourself you're still mad at me. But, sadly, Ric is gonna have to skip Elena time today. You know, lockdown and all."

Elena sighs, too, and hands over the tray of goodies to Damon. "Just take it, give it to him, and tell him that I miss him, okay?"

Damon smirks. "_With pleasure_." He begins to shut the door.

"Please-"

"Have a great day, thanks for coming by!" Damon shuts the door in Elena's face, and turns back to Stefan and Alaric. Ric is giving him a _look_, one of the classic Alaric looks, to be exact, and Damon only grins as he listens to Elena exit the building slowly. "Walking down the stairs…opening the front door, aaand…she's gone."

Alaric sighs, but flips on the saw again, and finishes his job. Before he can step away from the saw, Damon's hands are sliding around his waist and the vampire's body is pressing against his back. Alaric sighs again. "Damon…stop."

"But I don't want to." Damon purrs in Alaric's ear, then presses his lips to the human's neck, which immediately turns Ric on. Obviously. He pushes his body back against Damon involuntarily, and, fuck. Damon's lips send Alaric into the cloudiest sexual haze he's ever been in, which makes him lean back more and wrap his arm around Damon's head, holding it to his neck. Alaric moans softly as Damon's hand slides down from his hip to grab hungrily at the increasingly hard arousal in Ric's pants. Damon smiles, and brings his lips up to Alaric's ear, whispering. "Stefan's in the bathroom calculating how much gel is in his hair, how much time do you think we have?"

Alaric smiles a bit. "Eternity."

"How about none?" Stefan's voice makes Alaric jump a little, but Damon stays put, only turning his head to look at his brother.

"Cockblocking brother."

"I will wear that badge with honor." Stefan grins, and steps toward them, arms crossed over his chest. "We need to get moving with this if we want any chance of killing Klaus, or any of his siblings."

Knowing he was right, Alaric removed Damon's hands from him and turned around. "Stefan is right. No messing around."

"Fine." Damon rolls his eyes, picks up a piece of wood, pulls a knife out of his pocket, and sits down in a chair a few feet away. He begins scraping off the wood, into a point. Alaric and Stefan are still standing, staring at him, and Damon lets out a breath, speaking sarcastically. "What? I'm doing what you asked, Stefan. Why aren't you making Ric do anything?" He continues to whittle.

Stefan takes a piece of the wood, himself, and Alaric hands him a knife from his own pocket. Stefan nods a thanks and begins making the stake. "Because, Alaric doesn't need to be anywhere near a knife for a while, and he needs to chill. Right?" Stefan looks up at Alaric for a moment, and the human nods.

"I do, but I feel bad for not helping."

"Don't," Stefan said. "You cut these up for us. Just have a drink, and relax. We'll be done in a bit."

Alaric sighs, but he humors Stefan and gets himself a glass of whiskey. He looks up at Damon, who was concentrated on whittling the stake in his hand, which had come out fairly nicely as far as Alaric could tell. He noticed the vampire was wearing Ric's Gilbert ring. He says nothing about it as he pours a glass for him, holding it up. "Damon?" The vampire's eyes move to Alaric, but he shakes his head, smiling. Alaric shrugs and looks to Stefan. "I've already poured it." He sets the glass on the counter and slides it across, and Stefan picks it up with a smile and sips it. Alaric turns his eyes back to Damon. He's not sure if Damon is irritated or if he's just trying to keep his mouth shut in fear of saying something to piss Stefan off. Alaric figured it was the latter, and he was probably right. Damon was sort of an open book at times, especially to Alaric, and especially when he was agitated. Realizing this made Alaric smile.

It doesn't take long for Stefan and Damon to finish eleven of the White Oak stakes, and by that time, Alaric is a good bit tipsy and he had been thinking over a lot of things as he silently watched Damon the entire time. It didn't seem to bother the vampire, seeing as he was taking advantage of Alaric's eyes on him by stretching and purposefully exposing his smooth, sculpted waist, and eyeing Alaric seductively, winking. It made Ric laugh and blush every time, and he mouthed "I love you" once. Of course, Damon didn't do anything but smile. Alaric didn't mind, much. He knew it was difficult for Damon to tell anyone he loved them, even if he did. Alaric knew. He just liked hearing it.

It was just another reason that made the decision he had made even more difficult. He walked to his bed and pulled on his jacket he had left there. He didn't look at Damon. "If you guys have got this under control, I have to call the Sheriff." The two vampires looked at him in disbelief, and Alaric kept his eyes on Stefan. "I'm gonna turn myself in."

"No you don't." Damon retorted, eyes on his hand, twisting the Gilbert ring around on his finger.

Alaric sighed, and finally looked at Damon, stepping to stand in front of him. "I have a homicidal alter-ego. Unlike _some_ people in this room, I would like to take responsibility for the people I've killed."

"If you wanted to turn yourself in, you wouldn't be saying it out loud," Damon looked up at Alaric, a knowing look in his pale blue eyes. "Because you know I'd never let you do it. Just saying."

"Listen, of _all_ people, _you_ cannot psycho-analyze me, okay?" Alaric glared as Damon turned his attention back to the ring on his finger. "I killed Caroline's father, I nearly killed Meredith…everything's changed."

Damon looked back up at Ric, his eyes no longer smug, but filled with concern. He didn't get a chance to say anything, because Stefan started speaking. "Look, you're not turning yourself in. Bonnie's herbs are working, and we have Originals to kill."

"You're just gonna have to live with it for now, Ric. It's not so bad after a while. I mean, Bill Forbes was terrible to Caroline anyway. He tortured her for being a vampire, in case you didn't remember. And Meredith is fine, why are you even so concerned about her?" Damon had turned his attention back to his hand, and Alaric smiled, just a bit.

"Jealous?"

Damon scoffed. "No."

"I think you are."

"Not jealous."

"Sounded like Jealous Possessive Vampire Lover to me." Alaric's grin widened. "Is he _your_ alter-ego?"

Damon looks only slightly agitated when he lifts his head to look at Alaric again. "Shut up."

Alaric raised a brow at Damon, but kept the smile on his face. It was strange, just a few moments ago, he had completely given up on everything. Now he was playfully bickering with Damon, like nothing had happened at all.

Alaric would never tell Damon how well the vampire pulled him out of _any_ bad mood.

"If you guys are done, what I was _saying_ was, Klaus needs to die. We finally have a chance to kill him, so _you_ are not turning yourself in."

And just like that, thanks to Stefan, Alaric's mood was back.

He sighed as Damon got up from his chair, taking the Gilbert ring off his finger, and holding it out for Alaric to take. He looks over the human's face thoroughly before speaking. "Here's your ring, Ric. Put it on."

Alaric stared at it. He never thought it was ever possible to hate in inanimate object, but Alaric did. He absolutely _loathed_ that ring, with every fiber in his being, and he wished he didn't need to to stay alive. He can't help it when his voice comes out as an almost whisper. "That ring is the reason I've killed people."

"And it's also the reason you're _alive_." Damon raised his voice, obviously frustrated that Alaric wasn't taking the ring. "You're going vampire hunting, Ric. _Wear it_." Alaric glared at Damon, but took the ring from him, slipping it on his finger. Damon's face visibly softened. "Thank you." The vampire then leaned up and placed a kiss to Alaric's lips, pulling away when Alaric tried to deepen it. His normal smug features were settled back into place, along with a smirk. "Nope, no messing around, remember?"

Alaric smiled, but said nothing, and he took Damon's hand in his. "Let's go kill some Originals."

And Alaric was ready to, but they needed a plan, and they needed to tell everyone else about said plan. So, with heavy sighs and protests from Damon, he and Stefan leave Alaric in the loft with one of the stakes, which he was supposed to hide somewhere. He does so, but not in the loft.

After about an hour or two of drinking, Alaric gets a text from Damon telling him to come to the boarding house. Ric gets there as fast as he can, seeing as he's a bit drunk and he does not want to get pulled over and thrown in jail. Again.

He doesn't see Damon when he walks in, so he goes up to the vampire's room, and doesn't bother to knock. He should have known that Damon would attack him the moment he closed the door, but he was still a little surprised when he felt Damon's lips against his neck, the vampire's strong hands pinning his back against the door and slipping off Alaric's jacket. Alaric gripped Damon's back, moaning as he felt teeth scrape over his skin. He had to force himself not to tear open Damon's shirt when he felt the hard outline of Damon's erection press against his own hardening cock, through the rough material of their jeans. Alaric moans even louder when Damon slips a hand between them, palming Alaric's crotch. Damon's mouth trails up Alaric's neck and stops at the man's ear. His hand grips Ric's now completely hard erection. "I am _not_-" The hand dips into Alaric's jeans, and boxers, the warmth of Damon's hand and the cool air hitting Alaric's cock like it had never been touched before. He groaned Damon's name, while the vampire's teeth had Alaric's ear between them. "-jealous." Damon growls the word in Alaric's ear, the vibrations of it pulsing through Alaric's body and sending more pleasure to his aching, throbbing erection.

Damon's hand exits Alaric's pants and begins to undo the man's belt, while his lips find Alaric's in one of the most heated kisses they've ever shared. He gets that done and fiddles with the button and zipper, sliding Alaric's jeans down only a little, and he removes Alaric's cock from the restricting boxers they're in. Alaric cannot even form full thoughts, nothing other than _God please let him-oh god-he's so fucking-FUCK_, and the words he utters against Damon's lips are similar to this. Variations of Damon's name as the vampire strokes and strokes, always gently, teasingly, until he pulls away from Alaric and slides down to his knees. Alaric can't imagine a hotter sight as Damon's tongue trails over his cock slowly, making him shudder. His hands fly down to twist in Damon's hair, muttering nonsense under his breath, while Damon takes him entirely in his hot mouth. There was absolutely nothing else that felt better than this, to Alaric. He silently wondered if Damon had ever done this before, because he was doing an absolutely fantastic job, but Ric knew he hadn't. Damon was just a natural at _everything_, and apparently that included giving head.

Damon suddenly stopped, letting Alaric's cock slip out of his mouth slowly, making Alaric actually _whine_ for him to bring back that perfect mouth of his. "Babe, you can't just-"

"Stefan." Damon called, likely to his brother who was probably behind the door.

He was. "What are you guys doing? We have to-wait, do _not_ answer that question."

Damon grinned. "I'm giving an A+ blowjob right now, Stefan. I don't have time for broody little brothers." His tongue flicked out to run over the head of Alaric's cock, and Ric had to bite down on his lip to keep from moaning.

"Well, right now you're giving a B blowjob. Sorry." Alaric knows he can't hide the complete lust that's in his rough voice, but he doesn't care. Damon's lips are brushing over him and he can't think.

"Hear that, Stefan?" Damon's tongue, from the base to the tip, and holy fuck, Alaric is going to burst. "My grades are slipping. I have to study."

There's a shuffling on the other side of the door, and Stefan is hurrying down the steps, out the front door. Alaric can feel the smile on Damon's lips, which are kissing his length gently. Then they're on the bed, and Alaric has no idea how they got there, but he's not complaining. Damon was on top of him, kissing him furiously, and gripping his cock with his warm hand. Alaric moans into Damon's mouth as Damon begins pumping him, slowly, and Ric's hands are pulling at Damon's shirt hungrily. When Damon notices, he gets up from the bed and pulls his shirt over his head, and slips out of his jeans and boxers. He then pulls off Alaric's shoes and socks and pants and underwear and he's on top of Alaric again, ripping off of Alaric the final piece of clothing that hindered him from feeling all of Alaric's skin against his own. His lips put messy, wet kisses down Alaric's neck, then chest, then stomach, and he's back to taking all of Alaric's length into his mouth. Damon only does this for a few moments before he pulls away, positioning himself over Alaric's cock and slowly slipping down onto it. The vampire winces slightly at the initial pain, but the feeling of having Alaric inside him overpowers the pain a lot more.

As Alaric inches into Damon, he wants to moan and groan and literally _scream_ at how amazing it felt. He doesn't. "Fuck, _fuck_, Damon…fuck me, ride me, _something_!" His hands find Damon's hips, and he pulls down, seeing his cock disappear inside Damon. The vampire groaned and closed his eyes, but started to roll his hips up and down. Alaric gripped Damon's hips, hard, and his head fell back on the pillows behind him while Damon rode his cock in the absolute best way possible. He moaned, once, and closed his eyes, and he was gone in complete bliss. Damon opened his eyes when he felt Alaric's hands drop from his waist. Ric's eyes shot open, and there was a complete different kind of lust in them, one Damon had never seen before. The vampire doesn't get a chance to say anything, because Alaric sits up, his face hard, and stares at Damon for a moment before pushing the vampire down and pulling out of him. His voice is unnaturally commanding when he speaks. "Turn over."

Damon turns his head to the side, confused. "Ric-"

"I _said_," Alaric grabbed Damon's cock, gripping it hard. "Turn. _Over_."

Damon does nothing but moan and nod, because he absolutely _loves_ when Ric takes dominance over him. He turns over, and Alaric pulls Damon up by the hips, his cock meeting Damon's entrance. Without warning, Alaric thrusts into Damon hard, and Damon lets out a sound of pain, mixed with pleasure. The vampire feels his fangs click into place and his eyes fill with blood as Alaric pounds into him relentlessly, the human's strong hands holding his hips in place. He didn't know where this hard, angry, commanding Alaric had come from, but he loved it. Loved everything about it, because it was tiring, being the dominating alpha male all the time.

Damon moans as Alaric speeds up, his cock hitting that spot inside Damon that sent white hot pleasure through the vampire's body, every time. Every thrust felt better than the last, and Damon can't help it when he groans again. "Ric…oh, goddamnit, Ric. _Fuck_."

"Shut up."

It's when Alaric says this, that Damon realizes the person slamming into him over and over is _not_ his Alaric.

Damon has no idea what to do, mostly because what was happening felt way too good for him to want to stop, but also because this Alaric might kill him if he said anything.

Was it sick that the danger of the situation turned Damon on even more? Probably. But whatever.

He has no time to think about it any more, because Alaric topples over him, moaning. Damon can feel an incredible warmth inside him and it sends him over the edge. He pumps his own cock only a few times before he comes, wanting to groan Alaric's name, but holding it back. Instead, he shifts his body a bit, moving his head to look at Alaric, and he captures the man's lips in his own, his features returning to human as he did. The shift in Alaric is clearly visible. He drops down onto Damon and when he opens his eyes, they are sweet and warm and completely _Alaric's_ again. Damon pulls away from the kiss and smiles. "Welcome back, stud."

It takes a moment for Alaric to realize exactly what Damon is talking about, but when he does, he sits up and pulls out of Damon a bit too quickly, causing Damon to hiss in pain. Alaric ignores it and shakes his head rapidly. "No. No, no, no, no, _NO_!" Ric scatters back to the head of the bed, pulling the heavy blanket over his waist. Still shaking his head, he looks up at Damon, terror all over his face. "What happened?"

Damon is still grinning, but he moves to sit next to Alaric, lacing their fingers together. He shrugged. "Nothing. We fucked."

"No," Alaric is still shaking his head. "_We_ didn't fuck, you and _him_ fucked. I can't believe this. Why didn't you stop him?"

Damon sighed, letting go of Alaric's hand. "Because, I don't know, he _hates_ vampires and I _am_ one?! If I said or did anything, he would have killed me, Ric!"

"What, so you just wait until you both come and _then_ you do something about it? Fucking ridiculous," Alaric gets out of the bed, and begins to put his clothes back on. "I can't believe you. Actually, you know what? I can. I should expect shit like this from you now."

"Ric, stop." Damon's voice is annoyed, but it turns desperate when Alaric is putting his shoes on, and walking towards the door. "_Alaric_! Stop!" Damon blurs from the bed and blocks the door so Alaric couldn't leave.

Alaric let out a frustrated breath, giving Damon a _look_. "I fucking hate when you do that."

"So don't give me a reason to do it." Damon grinned. "But, Ric, don't be mad. Please?"

"I'm not mad. I'm _pissed_." Alaric tried to push Damon out of the way, but of course it didn't work. "You let my alter-ego fuck you. I think that's grounds for me to storm out in a huff."

Sighing, Damon slipped his arms around Alaric's waist loosely. "It is. Storm all you want," he said. "But, you have to understand, though, I thought it was _you_, just…a more dominant, _extremely_ angry you."

"So, how did you know it was…_him_?"

"I started cursing and saying your name, and he told me to shut up."

"What, and you didn't find that hot?" Alaric raised an eyebrow at Damon, and he seemed a lot less angry now. Damon smiled.

"I did, but I know _you'd_ never do it." Damon moved closer to Ric, his arms sliding all the way around Alaric's torso, his silver-blue eyes as sweet as can be. "Still pissed?"

Sighing, Alaric kissed Damon quickly. "No. Sorry I got so mad. I'm just-"

"I know. You're scared." Damon smiled sadly, and Alaric nodded.

"If he keeps showing up out of nowhere, he could kill you."

"He could."

"I…If I lost you…" Alaric begins to shake his head. "I've lost so many people. I'm losing _myself_. I can't lose you."

Damon's warm smile calmed Alaric a little, as did the grip the vampire had on his back. "You won't. And stop talking like Elena. It's annoying from her, but really sad from you."

"I'll stop if you put some clothes on. You still have to hide your stake, remember?"

"I'm not going to even _begin_ a retort to that, but I will put clothes on." Smirking, Damon let go of Alaric and gathered his clothes, which were strewn everywhere around his room. When he was done dressing, he cleaned up the bed a little, and retrieved his White Oak stake from the stand next to his bed. Alaric was leaning on the mantle to the fireplace as Damon began to remove the wood logs from where they were stacked together in a large iron container next to the fireplace. He placed the stake at the bottom. He glanced at Alaric, who was looking at him incredulously. "What?"

"I mean, did you learn _nothing_ from the Moon Stone in the soap dish?" Alaric asked, cocking his head a little.

Damon scoffed, covering the stake with the wood logs. "Why? Where'd you put yours?" Just then, a loud crash sound came from downstairs, and Damon stood up. "What the hell was that?"

Alaric shrugged. "Stefan?"

"No, that sounded like somebody breaking in." Damon began walking towards the door, and Alaric followed, but Damon turned and placed a hand on his chest. "Stay here. I'll let you know if it's okay." Alaric said nothing, only nodded, as Damon exited the bedroom.

As soon as Damon shut the door and was a good bit away, Alaric turned to sit on the bed and wait, but he found Rebekah standing before him, sly smirk on her face. Alaric sighed. "Here to kill me?"

Her smile grew. "No. Just Damon." Rebekah looked around a moment, and her nose scrunched in what looked like disgust. "It smells terribly like sex in here. Have you slept with him, too?"

"Hurt him, and I swear I will-" Alaric is cut off by Rebekah punching him, and _yes_, it hurt like a bitch being punched by a girl. Didn't help that she was a thousand-year-old Original vampire, either. Before Alaric is able to gather himself enough to reach for the wood log pile, he is picked up, taken into the hallway, and thrown down the staircase.

Damon spins around from his position at the bottom of the stairs to find Alaric thrown into the wall, and falling on the first landing. "Ric?" He goes to step towards him, but it blind-sighted by Rebekah, who promptly shoves a knife in his gut.

"Hello, lover."

\\/

**A/N: Sorry this took me forever to update. I have no excuse. My Dalaric muse is dwindling, because I just miss them so much. But please review (:**


	34. Chapter 34

Damon has no idea how much time has passed since Alaric left. It could have been hours, could have been days. Weeks, maybe. But Damon doesn't care. He stays in his room, mostly in his bed, but he sometimes sits in one of the chairs on the other side of the room, staring at his bed. Drinking. He takes showers when he feels he needs to, and only drinks blood when Stefan brings it to him. He doesn't sleep.

He never talks to Stefan. Only nods a thanks and waves his little brother away when he begins to try and get information out of Damon. Stefan always leaves when Damon tells him to.

Damon hasn't seen Elena yet, but he knows she's there. He can hear her talking about him with Stefan, but he doesn't care. He doesn't care about anything anymore. He realizes killing will only distract him for a short while, and possibly get him into trouble, so he doesn't do it, as much as he'd like to.

He just stays in his room, and exists.

Hearing footsteps on the stairs, Damon doesn't move from under the heavy blanket on his bed. He only sighs as someone enters and sits next to him. Burying his face in the pillow, Damon can still smell the strawberry shampoo she's used since before he's known her, and some God awful new perfume Stefan has probably bought her. He groans. "Go away, Elena."

"No," She says, softly. Her hand finds Damon's leg and she rubs it gently, even though it's covered by the blanket. "This isn't healthy, Damon. You need to come out of here." At this, there's snark on the tip of Damon's tongue, but he just doesn't have the willpower to execute it. So he just grunts and shifts a little, his leg moving from under Elena's hand. She sighs. "Do you just expect to stay in here for eternity? Avoiding everyone? Making Stefan and me worry about you?"

Damon sighs, and turns over, the blanket falling from him and cold air hitting his bare chest. It should be refreshing, but it's just bitter. "_Go away_, Elena." He pushes her off the bed and she staggers forward, on her feet, giving him the worst kind of _Elena_ look.

"Seriously, Damon? You can't expect me to just leave, and let you lay here to rot. Believe it or not, I actually care about you, and I don't want to see you like this." Elena sits back down and takes Damon's hand in both of hers. When he tries to pull away because the feeling of another person's hands on his is just too much, she keeps her grip strong. "Alaric comes around, probably worried about you. I can smell him sometimes."

"Don't," Damon says, hard, and his eyes are fierce as they bore into Elena's. "_Don't_ talk about him, like he's alive. Like he can just stop in and check up on me. _He can't_." At his words, Elena averts her eyes for a moment, and Damon can see they're filling with tears. He sighs. "Lena, please don't. I don't need-"

"You know you're _not_ the only person who lost him!" Elena cuts him off, tearing her hands from his and meeting his eyes once again, tears rolling down her cheeks. "Jere and I lost him too, and it fucking hurts, him not being here, because we need him so badly right now. But Jeremy can see him and talk to him and so can you, and you two are just avoiding him and sending him away." She shakes her head, and Damon instinctively pulls her into him, wrapping his arms around her tightly. Elena cries into his chest. "I just miss him so much."

Damon sighs again, and kisses her head, and rubs her back. Because he knows _exactly_ how she feels, and he didn't have anyone to help him through it. "I know."

\\/

"So we're going over here to negotiate Damon back with less stakes than we actually have? When Klaus doesn't trust a word we say?" Alaric tried to keep sarcasm from his tone, but it failed miserably as he sat scrunched in Stefan's small car on the way to the Originals' mansion.

Stefan sighed, and gave Alaric a look. "Klaus thinks I'm his friend, and I think I can use that to our advantage. You're the one who volunteered to go with me."

"Yeah, because if I'm there, Klaus will have more reason to believe you, and maybe I can keep you in check since you seem to be running off nothing but impulse lately."

"Don't do that," Stefan pointed a finger at Alaric as he stopped the car. "I'm not Damon. You can't boss me around."

Alaric scoffed, and got out of the car, stretching his legs. "And you think he lets me boss him around? If he did, he wouldn't even be in this situation because he would never have slept with Rebekah." Ric ran a hand through his hair, and looked at the giant house in front of him. He definitely did _not_ want to go in there and see what Rebekah had managed to do to Damon, but he knew he was right in what he said to Stefan. Klaus knew about he and Damon, and he would believe Stefan's story more if Alaric was there. Sadly.

Stefan held up his hand as he got the duffle bag with White Oak stakes out of the trunk of the car. "Boyfriend drama, Alaric. You're putting it on me."

Alaric rolled his eyes, but said nothing, and was surprised when Stefan just opened the front door and walked in. It made Alaric wonder just how close Klaus and Stefan were. Still, he followed Stefan into a room joined to the foyer, and as soon as he looked up, it was like he hit a brick fucking wall.

Damon was held up by his wrists with what looked like bear traps. Blood was soaked into his open shirt, and was all down his front and arms. Seeing Damon like that, had the vampire been underneath Alaric and completely naked, would have turned him on tremendously. This made him want to puke.

Alaric held his stomach as Damon lifted his head slowly. When he saw Alaric, he glared at Stefan as best as he could, and spoke hoarsely. "Get him out of here."

Stefan ignored his brother and called out for Klaus, and a few moments later, the hybrid accompanied by Rebekah entered the room. Klaus smiled at Stefan. "Oh, good. A hero." He glanced at Alaric for a moment and nodded, then turned his attention back to Stefan. "What do you want?"

Stefan threw the bag in his hand to the floor, in front of Klaus' feet. "I'm here to make a deal."

"Stefan, what are you doing?" Damon's voice sounded, and everyone in the room but Alaric ignored him.

Stefan continued talking to Klaus. "Eight stakes made of White Oak. A part of Wickery Bridge that you forgot to burn."

Klaus looked at Rebekah, who shook her head in disbelief. "That's impossible…"

"Actually, it's not," Stefan grinned at her, looking back at Klaus. "Finn's dead."

The Originals looked at each other, and the hurt was plain on Rebekah's face. "You killed my brother?"

Stefan ignored her once again, stepping closer to Klaus. "Damon, in exchange for the last eight weapons that can kill you."

"And how do I know there aren't any more left?"

At those words from Klaus, Alaric tensed a little, but Stefan didn't hesitate. "Because there aren't."

Klaus looked from Stefan to Alaric, then back to Stefan again. Alaric didn't like the smile that formed on the hybrid's face. "Let's be certain, shall we?" Klaus begins walking toward Damon, and when he reaches him, he takes Damon's face in his hand with a firm grip, and Alaric somehow finds his voice.

"No, _please_," He begged, but was frozen in place next to Stefan. "Don't hurt him."

Klaus looked back at Alaric, grinning, but spoke to Damon. "You might want to tell your pet to keep his mouth shut, Damon," He finally looked back at Damon. "Wouldn't want him to lose any limbs."

Damon then began to struggle to get free from his restraints, along with pulling his face from Klaus' hands. "Touch him, and I will kill you." Damon growled the words at Klaus, who only smiled, catching Damon's chin in his hand again. He compelled Damon to leave, and stepped back, smiling. He never looked away from Alaric.

Damon didn't, either, as he began trying to pull his arms out of the bear traps. His skin scraped off, as did a little flesh, and he made plenty of painful sounds. Alaric saw the pain in his face, and shook his head. "Stop." Klaus did nothing, and Damon shouted, and Alaric finally stepped forward, towering over Klaus. "_Stop_!"

The man looked up at Alaric, and spoke low. "Now, why would I want to do that?" He smiled, and Alaric wanted to vomit at the next sound of pain from Damon, but he somehow kept his dinner down. "You told me not to hurt him, and I'm not. He's doing it to himself."

"_Please_!"

"Alaric," Stefan pulled Alaric back from Klaus. "You'll only make it worse."

More shouts from Damon. Alaric wants to die. "I can't watch this." He steps past Stefan to leave, but Rebekah is in front of him before he can react, pushing him back.

"You're not going anywhere," The blonde cooed. "You're staying right here, just in case we need to keep Damon honest."

Klaus chuckles, then, and it is the most emotionless sound Alaric has ever heard. "Alright, stop, _stop_, before you hurt yourself." He speaks to Damon, and Damon finally stops trying to get out of the bear traps, and Alaric's heart isn't threatening to beat out of his chest anymore. "Well, now we see that you can finally be compelled, now," Klaus steps back to Damon, a hand taking his face in a firm grip again, compelling him. "Minus the one that's in my brother, how many other stakes are out there that can kill me?"

Damon's head lolls for a moment, and Alaric is pleading with his eyes at Stefan but he's not looking. Damon takes in a short breath before replying. "Eleven."

"_Eleven_, really!" Klaus muses, loudly, turning back to Stefan. "So not eight, then?"

"You _really_ shouldn't have lied." Rebekah purred in Stefan's ear, and Stefan groaned.

"We'll get you the other three."

All the while this is going on, Alaric cannot take his eyes off of Damon, who looks completely and utterly miserable. His entire body is telling him to set Damon free, and take him home, let him feed, and sleep, and hold him until he fell asleep. But Alaric didn't do any of that. He just stared at the man he loved, chained up, and in pain.

And then Stefan has Klaus pinned to the wall, and Alaric swallows, hard. "Stefan, what the _hell_ are you doing?" Not getting an answer as the hybrid and the vampire stared each other in the eyes, Alaric found himself sighing in time with Rebekah, who promptly walked over to Damon and freed his hands from the bear traps. Damon fell on his knees, and Alaric is by his side before he even knew what he was doing. He takes his face in his hands. "Damon, can you stand? Please tell me you can stand. I'm not dragging you out of here by your feet, man." Damon nods weakly, Alaric hears Klaus threaten Stefan once more before walking out of the room. Bringing Damon to his feet, Alaric wraps his arms around the vampire's torso tightly to keep him up, and stares at Stefan. "Well, that went well."

Stefan shook his head. "Just get him in the car."

Alaric said nothing more as he followed Stefan back outside slowly, wishing he would at least help Alaric carry Damon. It's not like he was human, with a human's measly strength, or anything.

With Damon in the back and Alaric still scrunched in the front, the three of them rode in silence to the boarding house, Stefan getting out of the car quickly and slamming the door shut. Alaric helped Damon out, leading him into the basement for a blood bag or two. He stared at Damon while he drank, feeling a little awkward because of the question that was looming around in his head. Damon took notice, as he always did, and quirked a brow at Ric. "Got something on your mind, stud?"

Alaric anxiously ran a hand through his hair, averting his eyes. "Is, uh, is there anything going on…with Klaus and Stefan?"

"What?" Damon looked quizzically at the human, shutting the cooler and leaning on it. "Klaus…and my brother…?"

Alaric nodded. "Yeah. They seem…close."

Damon shook his head and stood straight again, pushing Alaric back toward the door to the stairwell. "I think you look way too far into Stefan's broodiness. C'mon, we gotta get that stake of yours before my brother's apparent boyfriend rips us apart."

"Fine, but I seriously think there's something-" Alaric started, but was cut off by Damon blurring in front of him, and kissing him. Alaric sighed in relief, glad to feel Damon's lips against his own again. He thought he never would.

After a moment, Damon pulled away, his eyes fierce. "I thought I'd never see you again."

"You're not that lucky, Salvatore."

"Oh, I beg to differ, Saltzman." Damon pressed his lips to Alaric's once more, gently, before turning and walking up the stairs and back into the boarding house.

Alaric is left standing in the basement, wondering how the hell he ever got caught up in Damon Salvatore.

\\/

**A/N: hey guys! I know it's been a while since I've updated and I'm really sorry about that, this story has so much potential and I don't wanna ruin it by trying to update fast & having crappy muse. I hope you're not too angry with me. Please review!**


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